Chris Babits, PhD candidate at the University of Texas:
I’ve been a high school teacher, a museum educator, and in charge of the day-to-day operations of a teacher preparation program. For the past decade, I’ve been searching for something like Contingent—a magazine with well-sourced, accessible articles so that my students could better understand the nature and importance of history. I’m excited that Contingent will bring historians’ stories to a wide audience, and I commend the magazine’s founders for recognizing that scholars should get paid for their time and labor.
Michelle McCargish, American history instructor at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics and adjunct instructor in the Arts and Sciences Outreach program at Oklahoma State University:
There’s been a lot of talk about the state of the profession lately, and things are admittedly not always great. There’s also some concern that people outside the profession have no interest in history or that they find it boring. I don’t think people have lost interest in history; they’ve lost access to history that excites and engages them. Finding solutions may require us to change the way we think about our audiences, our contributors, our practices, our engagement, and our outlets. Contingent Magazine is a bold step forward in addressing some of the issues in the field by making historical research more accessible to broader groups of people; providing scholars, including those who may lack institutional affiliation, avenues for publishing; and compensating their contributors for the work they contribute to the field. As someone who spent years as contingent faculty before pursuing teaching outside the academy, I support Contingent Magazine because I believe the future of the profession is more: more voices, more stories, more access, more opportunity.
Erika Rendón Ramos, PhD candidate at Rice University:
As a historian and a former K-12 teacher, I’m enthusiastic about Contingent Magazine and its potential to reach thousands of students across the country. Secondary school teachers often struggle to find quality academic articles because they do not have access to massive scholarly databases like universities. Contingent will help bridge this gap by making their publications accessible to the public and will undoubtedly make its way into the classroom and onto the screens of the next generation. Secondary schools need more resources like Contingent.
Virginia Scharff, Distinguished Professor Emerita at the University of New Mexico and Senior Scholar at the Autry Museum of the American West:
I have practiced history as a graduate student, part-time instructor, public lecturer, museum professional, freelance writer, television talking head, performer in a traveling tent show, and, yes, as a college professor at a research university. I know how many audiences are hungry for history, and how important it is that historians give our publics the best we have to offer. Contingent is a magazine for them, and for scholars, thinkers, and writers like me.
