Historian in the Making
Nechtman finds personal, intellectual freedom in the study of history
By Eva Emerson
USC graduate student Tillman Nechtman remembers the exact moment he decided to become a historian.
His research project on the 1898 Spanish-American War as portrayed by the Spanish press led him to the Seville archives, where he leafed through century-old newspapers.
“There was something mystical about touching these old papers,” says Nechtman, a doctoral candidate in the USC College history department who hails from Georgia. “The pages were so fragile, it felt like they might break in my hands.”
It was then that he decided to change course from a plan to be a diplomat to a goal of becoming a historian. He has never looked back. “This route has given me much greater personal and intellectual freedom than the foreign service ever could have.”
For his Ph.D. work, Nechtman will focus on Britain and the British Empire between 1750 and 1801, and how the development of the empire impacts British national identity. He recently left for London to begin his dissertation research in the archives of the British East India Company, where he will review the records and personal papers of employees who returned to Britain for retirement.
“In the first generation, many retirees returned wealthier, with unusual art collections [mostly war loot], with some becoming more socially prominent,” he says. The second generation developed even more of an appreciation of the Indian and Asiatic cultures, in contrast to most Britons.
“Many of the things that became closely identified with Britain in this period, such as afternoon tea, originated in the colonies,” he says, pointing to imports like tea, sugar and many other items imported from Calcutta, Manila, North America and other colonial outposts.
“In this period, imperialism funds the development of the nation of Britain, and yet at the same time there’s a British nationalism that rejects all things Asiatic,” he says.
Nechtman’s affinity for British history began while earning a master’s degree in history at The Claremont Graduate School. Looking for a Ph.D. program, he was accepted to a number of local schools, but chose to attend USC College, attracted by its small history department, individualized faculty attention, generous funding and quality of faculty in his specialized area. Such faculty include Philippa Levine, professor of history, English and gender studies whose research interests include Britain and its empire during the 19th century, and Carole Shammas, professor and chair of history and holder of the John R. Hubbard Chair in History, who studies the colonial Atlantic world of the 18th century.
The benefits of a small department really hit home during Nechtman’s first interview with Levine, who spent three hours discussing history, research and life at USC. That kind of one-on-one interaction continues with Levine, who has become his advisor. “At USC, I have found a faculty advisor who cares. That makes all the difference,” he says. “Graduate students need a faculty member who will go to bat for them.”
The history department has changed enormously since he arrived at USC, says Nechtman, who has served as a committee chair and then president of the History Graduate Student Association. “We now have a common space, which encourages intellectual loitering,” he says. Plus, the student association has worked with faculty to organize professional development workshops that cover issues like how to apply for a grant as a graduate student, as well as more historical colloquia and social activities.
“I see the department as aggressively supporting graduate training efforts,” he says, giving special kudos to Shammas for her efforts to address graduate concerns over the last few years.
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