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We need a historiography of law department management

So controversial has writing history become, so clotted with attacks on objectivity of historians in the past, that a special discipline has arisen – historiography. Historiographers situate historians and their writings in their governing milieu, where limits on their tools or awareness or freedom affected their topics, assumption, research and interpretations. Ideologies that prevailed in the society of the historian, not to mention personal belief systems, warped the findings and conclusions. Financial and reputational considerations hung heavily over any historian. None of us can achieve full objectivity.

For example, from the remove of decades, historiographers of the legal industry may note that those who write about law departments now were strongly influenced by what sells magazines or induces readers to sign up for conferences and webinars. It may be recognized that the ascendant market ideology skewed most writing to a competitive, market view. Or, historiographers may say we all over-rated or under-rated technology. None of us can escape the pull of our culture and mindset.