48th ABS Annual Conference

History is perhaps unique as a discipline insofar as it aspires to distill the collective memory of humanity. This knowledge informs social reality and collective future aspirations. History is thus both a scholarship and a fundamental aspect of life for all peoples. This paper explores key similarities and differences between academic and Baha'i paradigms for historical interpretation through an analysis of historical examples of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s engagement in discourses of society in the West—and the implications these hold for current-day Baha'is and historians attempting to participate in discourses in an increasingly divided and fractured world.