History

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

Unconsciousness Raising: On Franny Nudelman’s “Fighting Sleep”
Sleep is not just a factor in wartime; it’s also a method of protesting war.
Benjamin ReissJan 16, 2020
- History
- Politics
Utopian Experiments: On Katherine Franke’s “Repair: Redeeming the Promise of Abolition”
Sabrina Alli reviews Katherine Franke's new book, "Repair: Redeeming the Promise of Abolition."
Sabrina AlliJan 15, 2020
Into the Archives: On “Letters from Hollywood”
Chris Yogerst reviews a revealing collection of letters from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Chris YogerstJan 2, 2020
- Film
- History
One Nation, Not Under God
Stephen Rohde reviews "The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American" by Andrew L. Seidel.
Stephen RohdeDec 29, 2019
The Way They Move
Jean Comandon's 1909 "Spirochaeta Pallida (Agent de la Syphilis)" brought together the history of science and technology, sex and entertainment.
Sonia Shechet EpsteinDec 25, 2019
The Vital Relation: What Vivian Gornick Got Right About the History of American Communism
Lana Dee Povitz considers Vivian Gornick and her relation to midcentury American communism.
Lana Dee PovitzDec 24, 2019
- History
- Politics
Histories of Violence: Slavery in America
Brad Evans speaks with Ana Lucia Araujo, author of “Reparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade.” A conversation in the “Histories of Violence” series.
Brad EvansDec 23, 2019
- Histories of Violence
- History
Still Burning: Remembering the James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. Debate
Bill V. Mullen reads "The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Debate Over Race in America" by Nicholas Buccola.
Bill V. MullenDec 21, 2019
- History
- Politics
After the Fall: Revisiting 1989 in a New Age of Walls
Matthew Longo considers the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall and the sociopolitical implications of it — both now and then.
Matthew LongoDec 10, 2019
Stirring the Ashes: A Conversation with Harry Harootunian
A historian turns to the horror in his family’s own past.
Halis YildirimDec 7, 2019
Cigarette Stories
Andrew Benedict-Nelson considers "The Cigarette: A Political History" by Sarah Milov.
Andrew Benedict-NelsonDec 6, 2019
The Art of Conjecturing: On Karen Olsson’s “The Weil Conjectures”
Michael J. Barany reviews Karen Olsson’s “The Weil Conjectures,” a hybrid elegy and memoir about the power of conjecturing — in math, life, and writing.
Michael J. BaranyDec 3, 2019