History

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

Freethinkers Versus the Monsterverse: An Excerpt from “The New Enlightenment”
LARB presents an excerpt from Peter B. Kaufman’s “The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge.”
Peter B. KaufmanFeb 23, 2021
The Machine Stops: Science and Its Limits
Henry M. Cowles evaluates "The Knowledge Machine," the new book by Michael Strevens.
Henry M. CowlesFeb 22, 2021
- History
- Science & Technology
All Souls Rising
An anthology of African American literature arrives right on time.
Randal Maurice JelksFeb 22, 2021
- History
- Politics
Greenwood at 100
Carter Brace considers the legacy of the 1921 Tulsa massacre.
Carter BraceFeb 20, 2021
- History
- Politics
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