My name is Wendell Hunnicutt, though most people call me Alex. I profess to be a historian, and at times even flatter myself that maybe I’m not too bad at it. I teach at the University of Texas at Arlington and Tarrant County College as well.
I suppose I’d have to be called a generalist, since most other terms are less charitable. My masters and doctoral work focused on legal punishment: specifically on execution and executioners. But I broadened the scope of my investigations to include aspects of legal and judicial history, concentrating on how the state administers punishment. It turns out that there may be a strong correlation between the strength and stability of the state and the harshness of its judicial punishment.
But, by nature, I am very drawn to old-fashioned history. Great personality history. Actuarial tables, crop yields, marriage rates, age at death, divorce, childbirth, etc., all leave me yawning. I know they’re important and much fruitful material can be teased from such sources. I truly admire those who have the turn of mind to do so. For me, history is individual leaders and agents. I enjoy biographical aspects of history.
I do know better than to rely on that as a method of teaching. Better said, I blend cliometric history with whiggish, personality-based history. It works for me; students seem to enjoy it.