As a professional historian, I tell evidence-based stories about the past while encouraging and empowering others to do the same. Although my expertise and research focus primarily on the theory, practice, and evolution of land warfare across the long nineteenth century (1789-1914), my passion for expanding and enlarging the historical consciousness of the general public necessarily means that my interests are broad. Thinking historically means far more than knowing, memorizing, or even understanding what has occurred in the human past. It means grasping that every given moment is the direct byproduct of all those which have preceded it. It means fully recognizing the reality that we are all characters in a vast and grand drama, the plot of which we partly inherit and partly craft ourselves. Moreover, since the incredible complexity and dizzying dynamism of the universe make any certain prophecy or infallible prediction about human life impossible, we can only glance backward over our shoulders to better understand where we’ve come from, and how we came to be where, what, and how we are as people, cultures, and societies if we are to anticipate, and more importantly, determine, what direction we shall head tomorrow.
This, my personal website, is meant as an introduction to me, my work, my ongoing research projects, and my philosophy of teaching and historical thought more generally. Those interested will find an updated curriculum vitae chronicling my education, employment, accomplishments, and publications. A link is also provided in the menu above to my blog, Burnished Rows of Steel, wherein I sporadically muse about nineteenth century military history. Most importantly, I hope that these pages will offer a window into my life and work as a professional historian, my love of teaching, and my drive to introduce others to the power of historical consciousness.
~ E. M. Burke, Kansas City, Mo.