History

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

Playing Catch with Los Angeles
A new cultural history of Los Angeles has more twists and curves than Angeles Crest Highway but provides views just as spectacular.
William DeverellFeb 18, 2021
- History
Amnesiacs and Bystanders: On Géraldine Schwarz’s “Those Who Forget”
A postwar whitewashing of Vichy France reflects on the American situation.
Michael Scott MooreFeb 15, 2021
- History
- Memoir & Essay
Why “Trusting the Science” Is Complicated
Reviewing “On the Fringe,” Suman Seth uses 18th-century theories of putrefaction to show how flimsy the line between science and pseudoscience can be.
Suman SethFeb 12, 2021
- History
- Science & Technology
French Secularism, Reinvented
What can France’s history with Catholicism tell us about today’s culture wars over Islam?
Joseph Peterson, Rachel Johnston-WhiteFeb 11, 2021
A Look at Nothing: On Susan A. Crane’s “Nothing Happened: A History”
Vesper North considers "Nothing Happened," a new history by Susan A. Crane.
Vesper NorthFeb 9, 2021
- Cultural Studies
- History
The Collaborative Skein: Searching for a Way Forward in Polish-Jewish Relations, a Conversation
Louise Steinman and Piotr Florczyk offer a wide-ranging and provocative discussion of the legacy of the Holocaust in Poland.
Louise Steinman, Piotr FlorczykFeb 9, 2021
The Eternal Huizinga
A new translation of an enduring classic of late-medieval scholarship.
Birger VanwesenbeeckFeb 7, 2021
Pointing Out the Elephant: On Sean Griffin’s “The Liturgical Past in Byzantium and Early Rus”
Simon Franklin praises “The Liturgical Past in Byzantium and Early Rus” by Sean Griffin.
Simon FranklinFeb 6, 2021
Does Collective Violence Demand Collective Punishment?
Mark Ellis reviews "The Ratline: The Exalted Life and Mysterious Death of a Nazi Fugitive," the new book by Philippe Sands.
Mark EllisFeb 2, 2021
In Kafka’s Prague
Kafka transformed his native city into a psychic topography of constant anxiety.
Jared Marcel PollenJan 31, 2021
Controversial Contest
America’s signature women’s pageant changes –– slowly –– with the rest of the country.
Elwood WatsonJan 30, 2021
Lying with Numbers
At the end of the 19th century social scientists embraced statistics that “proved” Black criminality. Therein lies a tale.
Mary F. CoreyJan 29, 2021
- History
- Politics