History

"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history." — George Bernard Shaw

Medical Education and the Harm of ‘Goodly Heritage’
In the 12th essay of the Legacies of Eugenics series, three researchers describe how eugenic ideas linger in the institutions and practices of contemporary healthcare.
Daniel Martinez HoSang, Marco Antonio Ramos, Alana SlavinFeb 8
Incredible Prophecies, Sick Truths
Oedipal iterations, from Sophocles to Arundhati Roy.
Ankhi MukherjeeFeb 6
- History
- Literary Criticism
Iranians Don’t Need to Prove Their Revolution to You
The uprising in Iran isn’t only against armed oppression; it’s also over narrative.
Sahar DelijaniFeb 1
- Politics
- History
Letter to the Editor: Jake Milgram Wien Responds to Johanna Drucker
The author of ‘Paul Landacre: California Hills, Hollywood and the World Beyond’ underscores the universality of the artist’s engraved landscapes and refutes a critic’s claims that Landacre participated in racism associated with Americans’ westward expansion.
Jake Milgram WienJan 30
- Art & Architecture
- History
A Slave Empire
Brooke N. Newman’s ‘The Crown’s Silence’ dives into the long history of transatlantic atrocities committed by Charles III’s ancestors in the name of empire.
Michael O’DonnellJan 29
- History
And I Never Looked Back
Tracing the California lineage of Charles Bukowski’s publisher, Black Sparrow Press, and its passionate founder, John Martin.
Joshua BodwellJan 16
- Biography & Autobiography
- History
The Mysterious Eugenics of Aesthetic Taste
In the 11th essay in the Legacies of Eugenics series, Michael Rossi shows how American scientists and artists used their discovery of racial ‘types’ to buttress eugenicist notions of aesthetic taste.
Michael RossiJan 11
The Globalization of US Healthcare
Eram Alam’s new book uncovers the ways that immigrant physicians have propped up the American medical system.
Kim AdamsJan 6
- Science & Technology
- History
Stone Age Mindset
Luke Kemp’s ‘Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse’ diagnoses civilizational symptoms while sidestepping serious solutions.
Aaron LabareeJan 2
- History
- Politics
God Bites the Dust
Scott Bradfield interviews S. T. Joshi about the second volume of “The Downfall of God.”
Scott BradfieldDec 25, 2025
- Philosophy & Religion
- History
Keeping House
Marina Magloire writes on the Clifton House, the Pamoja workshop, revolution, and refuge, in an essay from LARB Quarterly no. 47: “Security.”
Marina MagloireDec 22, 2025
- LARB Lit
- History
A New Name for an Old Phenomenon
Michele Willens speaks with Danny Goldberg about his new book on the police beating of Rodney King and its aftermath.
Michele WillensDec 14, 2025
- Law
- History