History

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

What Should I Do with Such a Man?: On “Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture”
A new biography does the seemingly impossible: it casts new light on the much-studied founding father of Haiti.
Adolf AlzupharNov 26, 2020
Abolition from Below: On the Underground Railroad to México
María Esther Hammack reviews “South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War” by Alice L. Baumgartner.
María Esther HammackNov 24, 2020
The Undying Half-Life of Yiddish
Two books explore the indelible imprint of Yiddish on modern politics and popular culture.
Marc CaplanNov 23, 2020
Reading Mike Davis in Toronto: Police Violence and the Global City
David Helps on the city where “City of Quartz” was written.
David HelpsNov 22, 2020
- History
- Politics
Moving on Up — and Out: On L. Benjamin Rolsky’s “The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left”
John Compton reviews L. Benjamin Rolsky's recently published book, "The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left."
John ComptonNov 22, 2020
“History Has Many Cunning Passages”: On Jonathan Kaufman’s “The Last Kings of Shanghai”
Qiu Xiaolong reviews “The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China” by Jonathan Kaufman.
Qiu XiaolongNov 20, 2020
The Jesus of History and the Gods of Natural Theology
Brad East considers "History and Eschatology: Jesus and the Promise of Natural Theology," the recently published book by N. T. Wright.
Brad EastNov 19, 2020
- History
- Religion
Wagging the Dog, Avant-Garde Style: How the Russian Non-Parliamentary Opposition Influenced Putin’s Kremlin
Andrei Rogatchevski delves into “It Will Be Fun and Terrifying: Nationalism and Protest in Post-Soviet Russia,” by Fabrizio Fenghi.
Andrei RogatchevskiNov 18, 2020
After the Factory Closes: On Kerri Arsenault’s “Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains”
A set of linked essays about Maine’s dying factory landscape leaves a distinct impression.
Alex HansonNov 17, 2020
- History
- Memoir & Essay
The Machete as Metaphor: On Roberto Lovato’s “Unforgetting”
A new memoir cuts through the density of buried trauma in El Salvador.
Gabriel San RománNov 16, 2020
The Plot and the Argument: Philosophy as a Narrative Affair
The compelling story of four German-language thinkers in the aftermath of World War I.
Costica BradatanNov 15, 2020
Travels in a Vanished City: On Timon Screech’s “Tokyo Before Tokyo” and Amy Stanley’s “Stranger in the Shogun’s City”
Paul Kreitman reviews Timon Screech’s “Tokyo Before Tokyo” and Amy Stanley’s “Stranger in the Shogun’s City.”
Paul KreitmanNov 11, 2020