History

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

History as Dissent: On Ian Johnson’s “Sparks” and Tania Branigan’s “Red Memory”
Craig Calhoun reviews two books on history and memory in China: Ian Johnson’s “Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future” and Tania Branigan’s “Red Memory: The Afterlives of China’s Cultural Revolution.”
Craig CalhounJan 6, 2024
Abortion on Trial: On Nicholas L. Syrett’s “The Trials of Madame Restell”
Edna Bonhomme reviews Nicholas L. Syrett’s “The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous ‘Female Physician’ and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime.”
Edna BonhommeJan 3, 2024
The Hold of the Dead Over the Living: A Conversation with Jill Lepore
Julien Crockett talks with Jill Lepore about her new book “The Deadline.”
Julien CrockettJan 2, 2024
Trances, Ecstasies, Raptures, and Levitations: On Carlos Eire’s “They Flew”
Peter B. Kaufman reviews Carlos Eire’s “They Flew: A History of the Impossible.”
Peter B. KaufmanDec 12, 2023
Sankofa Time
Abena Ampofoa Asare writes about teaching Black history.
Abena Ampofoa AsareNov 30, 2023
- Education
- History
Nightmares of Reason: On Benjamín Labatut’s “The MANIAC”
Ed Simon reviews Benjamín Labatut’s newest book “The MANIAC.”
Ed SimonNov 25, 2023
Unpacking Women’s Language: On Jenni Nuttall’s “Mother Tongue”
Katherine Turk reviews Jenni Nuttall’s “Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words.”
Katherine TurkNov 15, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- History
Leaving Your Lane: A Conversation with Lydia Otero
Tom Zoellner talks to Lydia Otero about her new account of a young adulthood in Los Angeles, “L.A. Interchanges: A Brown & Queer Archival Memoir”
Tom ZoellnerNov 13, 2023
- History
- Memoir & Essay
History’s Final Verdict on Vichy France? On Julian Jackson’s “France on Trial”
John Reeves considers Julian Jackson’s “France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain.”
John ReevesNov 12, 2023
- History
The Bulgarian Computer’s Global Reach: On Victor Petrov’s “Balkan Cyberia”
Alex Langstaff calls “Balkan Cyberia: Cold War Computing, Bulgarian Modernization, and the Information Age Behind the Iron Curtain” a must-read for anyone interested in how the Iron Curtain was circumvented in the digital age.
Alex LangstaffNov 10, 2023
Thinking Was for Later; Movement Was for Now: On the Vortex Group’s “George Floyd Uprising”
Jamie Peck reviews “The George Floyd Uprising” by Vortex Group.
Jamie PeckNov 6, 2023
Shopgirl Pride: On Kate Flannery’s “Strip Tees”
Mariella Rudi reviews Kate Flannery’s “Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles.”
Mariella RudiNov 2, 2023
- History
- Memoir & Essay