Rutgers-Camden's Women of History: Kate Epstein

Assistant Professor of History

Expertise:

Military history; the intersection of military, diplomatic, legal, and business history in the U.S. and Britain

Publications:

Torpedo: Inventing the Military-Industrial Complex in the United States and Great Britain (Harvard University Press, Fall 2013)

“No One Can Afford To Say ‘Damn the Torpedoes’: Torpedoes, Battle Tactics, and U.S. Naval History before World War I” (Journal of Military History, April 2013)

What are your research interests and what draws you to that research? Why are these areas of history significant and important to you?

I'm fascinated by war; I have been since I was a kid.  I think my specific research focus — how states prepared for modern warfare in the early 20th century — is important because it lies at the heart of the relationship between states and societies, and because we're grappling with many of the same problems today that existed at the turn of the century.

I don't believe in historical analogies, but I do believe in historical resonances, and I think that re-enacting past experiences makes us (or should make us) humbler and wiser in the present.

Why is it important to acknowledge the remarkable women throughout history? How have other female historians and women throughout history inspired you?

I think it's important to acknowledge remarkable people of any gender, to acknowledge unremarkable people as well, and to question what makes people "remarkable."  My goal as a historian and as a person is to try to understand people in their full human complexity, and to understand how we're connected to each other. 

To be honest, my areas of historical expertise are in male-dominated fields, so the historians who have inspired me tend to be men.  I did have the most marvelous English teacher when I was in high school, who inspired me with her devotion to the life of the mind, and a terrific coach, who inspired me by cheerfully ignoring stereotypes about how women should behave in her intense pursuit of winning. 

In general, I draw inspiration from people whom I regard as fair-minded and brave; their gender doesn't matter to me.  I thought Amelia Earhart, Athena, and Geena Davis' character in A League of Their Own were pretty cool growing up; I also admired Jackie Robinson, Sir Galahad, and Lincoln.