We asked, and you responded -- and today I'm pleased to announce the five newest members of the ProgressiveHistorians team. Some of these folks you've heard of, some you haven't, and at least one will be a controversial choice -- but I think you'll be very happy with what they have to offer the site in the months ahead. Here they are:

• AndrewMC is a tenured history professor, a pioneer in new media, and a veteran blogger who has been writing online since the mid-1990's. He currently writes at Daily Kos.



• Clio Bluestocking is a history professor located in Washington, DC. She is a self-described "teacher, writer, misanthropist, dilettante." She has blogged at Clio Bluestocking Tales since 2006.



• We welcome back Robert Ellman, who posted several times at ProgressiveHistorians when it was a community blog. Rob blogs at Intrepid Liberal Journal about politics and other topics, and is noted for his podcasts with famous authors and academics. He is an information professional in New York City who holds a Masters in Library Science from Queens College.



• Jared Rodriguez is an undergraduate history major at the City College of New York who is specializing in Latin American history. Jared's new to the blogosphere but has a background in community organizing, so he's no stranger to the kinds of issues discussed at ProgressiveHistorians. He's interested in writing about his "experiences as a young historian of color beginning to navigate the confusing and sometimes treacherous waters of academia."



• Mark Safranski, otherwise known as ZenPundit, is a consultant and teacher who holds an M.A. in diplomatic history. He is an expert in military history and security studies with a large readership at his own blog. He was an early supporter of ProgressiveHistorians (linking to us within our first month of operation) and has been a regular commenter since the site's inception.

Since Mark is openly politically conservative, this last choice requires some explanation. I want to make clear that the editorial stance of this site has not changed; we remain avowedly progressive and liberal and, if anything, my own personal political beliefs have become far more uniformly leftist than they were when I founded ProgressiveHistorians in September 2006. At the same time, I don't believe the Internet should be viewed as a safe space where we're shielded from others who disagree with our views. Back when he ran the now-defunct Tacitus.org, the conservative Josh Trevino featured an avowedly liberal poster named "Harley" on his front page, who interacted respectfully with all commenters and generally enriched the quality of the site. I've long been interested in doing the same sort of thing here at PH, and Mark is the perfect person to do it with -- an eclectic and nontraditional conservative with real expertise in issues of great importance to America's present predicament. More importantly, in the nearly two years I've known Mark online, I've never seen him be anything but courteous to other bloggers, even when he disagreed vehemently with them. I invited Mark to post here knowing full well where he stood, and I won't censor his political perspective; I've made it clear to him that he can post whatever he wants. At the same time, you should feel free to disagree with him and challenge him, just as I do -- so long as you do so respectfully. (That basically means no namecalling or insults, and everything else is on the table. Bracing criticism is fine. Ad hominems are not.) Whether you agree or disagree with my choice, I hope you'll trust my judgment as an editor enough to give him a chance to become a meaningful part of this community.

Welcome to all of our newcomers -- it's going to be a fun summer!

Labels: Jeremy Young