History

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

The Bloody Spectacle: On Vladimir Alexandrov’s “To Break Russia’s Chains”
Douglas Smith reads “To Break Russia’s Chains” by Vladimir Alexandrov and ponders the legacy of notorious terrorist Boris Savinkov.
Douglas SmithDec 18, 2021
- History
What Did Dallas Learn from Rediscovering a Suppressed Book?
If there’s one subject Dallas will do almost anything to avoid, it’s how the city is drawn along racial lines.
Rob MadoleDec 17, 2021
- History
Filling the Gaps: Soviet Life in Battle and on the Home Front in World War II
Maria Bloshteyn tackles two books that cover Soviet life on the battlefield and on the home front during World War II.
Maria BloshteynDec 10, 2021
- History
A Rising or Setting Sun
The Framers of the Constitution might have been shocked that their experiment lasted.
Kenly StewartDec 9, 2021
- History
Foundations of Solidarity: Zeina Maasri Answers
Zeina Maasri speaks with Helen Mackreath about visual ephemera of resistance, postcolonial sites of dissensus, and erasures within the decolonizing moment.
Helen MackreathNov 26, 2021
- History
- Politics
Margins of History: On Shay Hazkani’s “Dear Palestine: A Social History of the 1948 War”
David N. Myers finds that “Dear Palestine: A Social History of the 1948 War” by Shay Hazkani upends received wisdom.
David N. MyersNov 24, 2021
- History
Letter to the Editor: Kyle Harper Responds to Monica H. Green
Kyle Harper and Monica H. Green exchange thoughts on Green’s review of Harper’s book, “Plagues Upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History.”
Kyle Harper, Monica H. GreenNov 21, 2021
- History
- Pasts Imperfect
Down to the Wire in Old Shanghai: On James Carter’s “Champions Day”
Taoyu Yang reviews James Carter’s “Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai.”
Taoyu YangNov 17, 2021
- History
Selling Menthol: On Keith Wailoo’s “Pushing Cool”
A history of the menthol cigarette and its effects on Black people.
Vesper NorthOct 31, 2021
- History
On the Chinese Cultural Revolution: Thought Exercises for the 21st Century
LARB presents a conversation with four scholars on the Chinese Cultural Revolution: Lingchei Letty Chen, Nan Z. Da, Frank Dikötter, and Jie Li.
Frank Dikötter, Jie Li, Lingchei Letty Chen, Nan Z. DaOct 22, 2021
- History
Perfecting Diseases’ Pasts: On Kyle Harper’s “Plagues Upon the Earth”
LARB presents the third entry in “Pasts Imperfect,” a column that explores the impact of ancient pasts on the present.
Monica H. GreenOct 18, 2021
- History
- Pasts Imperfect
What Happened Here in Munich: An Interview with Mirjam Zadoff
Laurie Winer talks with Mirjam Zadoff, director of the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism.
Laurie WinerOct 16, 2021
- History