Current Issue: Volume 16, Issue 1 (2025) (2024) Spring 2024

Editors Notes

Historical research is a profoundly humanizing experience. Discovering new corners of our human story and bringing them to light is a practice in empathy, diligence, and ingenuity. Historians embark on this journey as explorers, navigating the uncharted territories of the past. They become experts in these foreign lands, carefully studying unique lifeways, examining complex cultural norms, and mapping intricate interpersonal dynamics to weave a new tapestry comprehensible to the audience they will return to in the present day. Through the meticulous processes of transcribing, translating, and transliterating, historians transform a labyrinth of often convoluted and fragmented primary sources into a coherent narrative that offers both valuable reflections of the past and important implications for our future. As explorers of time, authors endeavor to communicate the significance of their findings to our contemporary world by identifying parallel problems, offering critical warnings, and proposing prescient solutions. Their journey also provides further insight into our shared human experience, reminding us that those who lived centuries ago are not so different from us today. Returning from their journey with a new understanding of empathy and respect towards foreign lands and peoples, historians bring forth valuable lessons for a world that often feels divided, cementing the age-old adage that ‘history still matters.’ The authors who contributed to this edition of The Forum are excellent examples of the enduring value that history has to us all. They deserve great praise for their contributions to this publication, and we are THE FORUMxii honored to showcase their exceptional work in the following pages.The faculty of the Cal Poly History Department is also intrinsic to the success of this journal. The professors have been invaluable in guiding our authors on their scholarly expeditions, helping them navigate the complex terrains of historical inquiry. The department’s administrative staff have provided unwavering support to our editorial team, and we would like to extend special thanks to Celine Realica and Denna Zamarron for their steadfast guidance and patient assistance. Lastly, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for our editorial team. Throughout the year, they have work diligently to refine our authors’ research and writing, ensuring that their work is of the highest quality. Their dedication and hard work cannot be overstated, and they are the foundation upon which this publication rests. We extend a sincere and exuberant ‘thank you!’ to all our associate editors, whose talents deserve high praise. As you delve into the pages of this year’s edition of The Forum, we invite you to witness the rich tapestries our authors have woven from history’s uncharted territories. May you find in these accounts a profound connection to our shared human experience and let the lessons they offer enrich your understanding of the present and illuminate the possibilities of the future. Julia Taylor and Amy Gavello, Executive Editors, The Forum