Image courtesy of Touchstone Pictures / Photofest.

Spielberg’s Lincoln has already engendered the kind of informed, critical engagement that I have hoped historians would offer upon its release: in this case, Kate Masur (Northwestern University) in the New York Times.

In my current column in AHA’s Perspectives on History, I “encourage colleagues to engage the film in the public realm—in newspapers and blogs and on the radio—in language that is accessible, and in a voice that speaks especially to people who might not readily accept concepts and perspectives taken for granted within the academy.”  Professor Masur’s thoughtful critique opens this conversation and I look forward to more historians continuing the discussion, whether in print, digital, or broadcast media.  Please send us a link so the AHA can publicize our members’ engagement with the film and the issues it raises.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.