Making That First Step.

I began listening to podcasts about eight years ago. I stumbled across Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, and its long-form content enthralled me. I believe it was “Blueprint for Armaggedon” that I began listening to as the centennial of the First World War was the following year. Carlin’s ability to tell a story in a way that both captures your imagination and informs you about the complexities of historical narratives I thought was genius. Then I began listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast in that same year. The long-form platform was tremendous, and its diverse topics and relaxed non-scripted approach also appealed to me.

Fast forward a few years, and during my MA, I wanted to start exposing people to the research I was doing in my field of study. Byzantine Studies. I began looking for podcasts that addressed this topic. Like the field itself (and I am openly critical about this to my colleagues in the discipline), the podcasts that I found that discussed the topic were…conservative at best.

This is not to say they were not good. The History of Byzantium is an excellent podcast the provides an in-depth narrative of the events in the Eastern Roman Empire. However, I find it top-heavy on elite narratives and does not necessarily portray Roman society as fully as it could be. But that is just me being very critical. Another podcast is Byzantium and Friends by Dr. Anthony Kaledillis. This podcast addresses various topics within the field by interviewing Byzantine scholars and specialists through casual discussions. Again, incredibly informative, insightful and great to listen to during long road trips from the country to the city on the way to Costco.

My contention with these podcasts is that I don’t believe they are meant for consumption by the general public. In other words, the podcasters want the public to engage with their field and become active participants in Byzantine Studies, but the language, I feel, is not “attractive” enough, for lack of a better term. If you are new to this field and have never read anything about it, then I don’t think you would come back for more.

That being said, my goal has always been to create a podcast that blends Carlin’s, Rogan’s and the two Byzantine podcasts into one. But I keep hitting a hurtle before I even start this adventure, and that is Myself. I believe we are our own strongest critics, and for myself, I fear that my voice is just not good enough (both in sound and how to tell a story). Sure, I’ve started a blog that no one besides my mother and one dear friend of mine reads. I want people to read it, but I also do not actively promote it either. So here goes nothing. One giant leap for myself. www.roguehistory.ca (shameless plug, I know). And this will also be the name of my podcast.

So now that I am a Ph.D. student, I think it is time to stop being scared about what people think about my voice and how I discuss history. I need to be brave. I’ve presented at conferences and defences, venues where criticism flows towards you like the flooding Nile. I mean, my supervisor directed me to this course, SSHRC thinks my proposal was good enough to fund, so I must have something going for me? Right?

I look forward to working on this project over the coming weeks and look forward to reading and listening to everyone’s work.