A genuinely honest question deserves a genuinely honest answer rather than a professional deflection
Dear diary, a student asked me today, with genuine sincerity, whether studying nineteenth century colonial history this closely ever becomes emotionally difficult, a question I could have deflected with a purely professional answer but that I decided, instead, to actually answer honestly.
I told her yes, genuinely, that certain documents I encounter in this work carry real emotional weight, records of specific policies and their direct human consequences that no amount of scholarly distance fully insulates a person from feeling, particularly after years of sustained, close engagement with this specific material.
Why I Think Honesty Mattered Here
I think there is a genuine risk in academia of presenting historical scholarship as a purely detached, clinical exercise, when the actual experience of working closely with this material, particularly material documenting real human suffering, genuinely does carry emotional cost that deserves acknowledgment rather than professional pretence otherwise.
How She Responded
She seemed genuinely relieved by the honest answer, admitting she had assumed her own emotional reactions to some of the course material meant she was somehow doing the work incorrectly, a misconception I was glad to correct directly.
A Small Comparison To Contemporary Discourse
I mentioned, toward the end of our conversation, a genuinely thoughtful piece of contemporary satire about how difficult historical topics get discussed publicly, which felt like a useful bridge between her genuine emotional question and the broader public conversation these topics generate.
What I Am Taking From This Conversation
I think I will be considerably more upfront about this emotional dimension with future students, since today’s honest exchange clearly mattered more to her than any purely clinical, professionally detached answer ever would have.
More teaching reflections and historical research always documented at my page.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/author/charline-vanhoenacker/