October 6, 2023

Dr. Stacie Taranto, associate professor of history, has been named an editor for TIME magazine’s latest collaboration, TIME Made by History. The magazine and history platform Made by History have come together to provide a space in which in-depth historical analyses of contemporary U.S. affairs and public discourse are delivered in a format tailored for the broader audience.

Made By History was created in 2017, as a collaboration between professional historians and the Washington Post. At that time, many people were remarking on how political developments at the dawn of the Trump presidency were unprecedented. The idea was to have historians offer the relevant backstory for current events, to shed light on where the country had been before — to help make sense of the polarized, turbulent political climate.

“The idea was for everyday readers of the Washington Post to benefit from the knowledge of professional historians that was before only shared in academic publications and undergraduate- and graduate-level history courses. I applauded the creation of Made by History from the sidelines, as did many historians,” said Taranto. It wasn’t long after Made by History’s debut that Taranto began pitching article ideas to editors. Her first book stemmed from stemmed from her PhD dissertation about how the Republican Party embraced an anti-feminist politics of “family values,” beginning in the 1970s, including by opposing legal abortion. “Not surprisingly, with that research background, I found a lot of links between my research and current events over the past 5-6 years,” she added.

In July 2023, Made by History left The Washington Post and relaunched with TIME. The format, which is online only, follows on the heels of the 2014 collaboration, TIME Ideas. It was in that same year Lily Rothman founded the TIME History section, under which TIME Made by History will run vertically.

As an editor, Taranto solicits content and edits work from historians in her personal network and also act as the second editor on pieces her colleagues have brought in. Ramapo College students benefit from Taranto’s involvement with TIME Made by History, too. “I learn a lot from editing the work of other historians, and I bring the new work I am exposed to into the classroom, in my lectures and assigned readings…it is such a positive influence on my primary job as a professor.”

Visit TIME Made by History’s website to explore the platform and content.