Historian Edward Ayers isn’t interested in dead people. Instead, Ayers is finding new ways to understand the complexities of the Civil War more than 150 years later by digitizing history.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Ayers said. “‘Could there be anything left to discuss about the Civil War?’”
During his lecture, “The Shape of the Civil War” on Tuesday, March 3, Ayers said historians are still far from comprehending the war.
Ayers has helped pioneer ways to explore history in the digital age, and has won the Bancroft Prize and the Albert J. Beveridge Award. Ayers has also been nominated as a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
“He’s a rock star,” said Charles Israel, associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor of history.
Ayers said he viewed the Civil War from a “graphical point of view” during his lecture.
While textbook graphs present a linear and easily-digestible narrative for the Civil War, Ayers said he believes a full understanding of the war is lost. Rather, the political, social, racial, economic and gender spheres during the Civil War are interrelated and formed a complex and radiating web.
Ayers has worked to digitize history to create comprehensive representations of the Civil War through fluid and animated graphic representations.
“If you leave the paper, there are all kinds of possibilities in the digital world of manipulability and transparency and volume that you can’t have on paper,” Ayers said.
Ayers said he hoped to expand the field of history, creating a comprehensive image of America’s past that is easily accessible to the general public.
“I thought his idea of pushing the boundaries of history and making history accessible to everyone were powerful,” said Joshua Shiver, senior in history.
Ayers said he also hoped students would be inspired to understand history in a new way.
“There’s a natural interest in history, but I just think we can make it a lot more interesting than it is,” Ayers said. “We’ve put it in containers and double columns in a misguided effort to make sure that young people learn about it.”
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