History

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

Dirty Digits and “Pleasant Landscapes”: On Jason A. Heppler’s “Silicon Valley and the Environmental Inequalities of High-Tech Urbanism”
After reading Jason A. Heppler’s “Silicon Valley and the Environmental Inequalities of High-Tech Urbanism,” Patrick McCray decides that Silicon Valley should really be called Arsenic Valley.
W. Patrick McCrayApr 23, 2024
I Understand Thee, and Can Speak Thy Tongue: California Unlocks Shakespeare’s Gibberish
In honor of National Talk Like Shakespeare Day, Frank Bergon writes about Shakespeare’s possible use of the Basque language.
Frank BergonApr 23, 2024
- Cultural Studies
- History
Black Archives, Not Archives of Blackness: On Laura Helton’s “Scattered and Fugitive Things”
Dorothy Berry reviews Laura Helton’s “Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History.”
Dorothy BerryApr 22, 2024
- History
Legacies of Eugenics: An Introduction
In the first of a series, Osagie K. Obasogie explores the history and persistence of eugenics in science, medicine, and elsewhere.
Osagie K. ObasogieApr 17, 2024
For the Love of Glamour: American Aristocracy from Twain to Trump
Are people—and the United States—doomed to be the subalterns of the aristocrats?
Mark EdmundsonApr 14, 2024
- History
- Politics
Falling Apart Together: On Hannah Proctor’s “Burnout”
Tom Allen reviews Hannah Proctor’s “Burnout: The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat.”
Tom AllenApr 10, 2024
- History
- Politics
Power over Spice Is Power over All: Extractivism and Indigenous Knowledge in Frank Herbert’s “Dune”
Devin Griffiths reads Frank Herbert’s “Dune” as a novel of environmental protest.
Devin GriffithsApr 5, 2024
The Eyes Have It: On Eugene M. Helveston’s “Death to Beauty”
Arvind Dilawar reviews Eugene M. Helveston’s “Death to Beauty: The Transformative History of Botox.”
Arvind DilawarMar 30, 2024
The Crisis of Classical Studies: On Mary Beard’s “Emperor of Rome”
Edward Watts reviews Mary Beard’s “Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World.”
Edward WattsMar 29, 2024
- History
- Nonfiction
There Is No Point in My Being Other Than Honest with You: On Toni Morrison’s Rejection Letters
Melina Moe writes about the rejection letters Toni Morrison sent as an editor at Random House.
Melina MoeMar 26, 2024
- Cultural Studies
- History
The Pulp of Culture: On Andrew Pettegree’s “The Book at War”
Greg Barnhisel reviews Andrew Pettegree’s “The Book at War: How Reading Shaped Conflict and Conflict Shaped Reading.”
Greg BarnhiselMar 25, 2024
- History
Rock-Fuel and Warlike People: On Mitch Troutman’s “The Bootleg Coal Rebellion”
In an essay that takes off from Mitch Troutman’s “The Bootleg Coal Rebellion: The Pennsylvania Miners Who Seized an Industry,” native son Jonah Walters finds something entirely too innocent about the tales told about the anthracite industry’s origins.
Jonah WaltersMar 21, 2024