Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich has shared insights regarding her career and the impact of feminist and social history on her perspective of the past. According to an interview in Conversations with Mormon Historians, Ulrich has focused much of her work on uncovering the lives of ordinary, often overlooked individuals.
Ulrich, a professor of history at Harvard University since 1995, has authored several notable books, including A Midwife’s Tale, which won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1991. She noted that her interest in history and feminism helped her find value in her rural upbringing in Sugar City, Idaho. She described how the study of social history and feminist activism reinforced the importance of common experience.
Her research has often focused on the lives of common people rather than institutional hierarchies. Ulrich has expressed an interest in writing about nineteenth-century Mormons through the use of diaries to understand how ordinary people viewed themselves as creators of history. She has also explored material culture, as seen in her work The Age of Homespun.
Ulrich discussed the complexities of balancing academic ambitions with family life and religious faith. She mentioned that her marriage to Gael Ulrich, a chemical engineer, provided significant support throughout her career. She also reflected on the importance of the Relief Society and her collaborative work with Claudia Bushman on projects like Exponent II.
Throughout her career, Ulrich has emphasized the importance of looking at history from the bottom up. She stated that her goal is to understand how common life intersects with institutions, politics, and ideas, noting that history serves as a way to make sense of the present.
