History

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

The History of English and the Pedagogy of Belonging
Seth Lerer reflects on a lifetime of teaching the history of the English language.
Seth LererApr 23, 2019
Whatever You Say … Say Nothing: An Interview with Patrick Radden Keefe
Benedict Cosgrove interviews Patrick Radden Keefe, author of “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.”
Benedict CosgroveApr 21, 2019
The Persisting Relevance of Walter Rodney’s “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”
Walter Rodney’s "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" still reads cogently after almost 50 years.
Giovanni VimercatiApr 18, 2019
The Chance for Transformation: On Giorgio van Straten’s “In Search of Lost Books”
Dalia Sofer explores “In Search of Lost Books: The Forgotten Stories of Eight Mythical Volumes” by Giorgio van Straten.
Dalia SoferApr 17, 2019
Fighting Trump, the Early Years
A historian writes an early draft version of the opposition to Trump.
Sean WoodardApr 10, 2019
- History
- Politics
The Kaiser’s Trial: How a Case that Never Happened Helped Create the International Criminal Justice System
Mark Ellis reviews William A. Schabas's meticulously researched and gripping "The Trial of the Kaiser."
Mark EllisApr 8, 2019
Rewriting the West: A Discussion About the Cultural History of the American “Frontier”
A conversation with Michelle García, Carolina A. Miranda, and Fernanda Santos of “Rewriting the West,” a partnership between Michelle García and “Guernica.”
Stephanie MalakApr 6, 2019
- Cultural Studies
- History
Have Your Dust and Eat It: On Alexander Robinson’s “The Spoils of Dust: Reinventing the Lake that Made Los Angeles”
A book about one of Los Angeles’s biggest historical embarrassments calls for a new way of seeing it as beautiful.
Peter Sebastian ChesneyApr 4, 2019
Never Past: On “The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism from World War II to the Present”
The Fourth Reich never happened, but its shadow still can be felt.
Brandon TensleyApr 2, 2019
- History
- Politics
Love and Loss in the Sierra Maestra: On Tony Perrottet’s “¡Cuba Libre!”
Avoiding hagiographical impulses, Tony Perrottet’s "¡Cuba Libre!" remains grounded in the crude texture of everyday life during the Cuban Revolution.
Victor P. CoronaMar 29, 2019
The Person Formerly Known as Jemima Wilkinson
An excerpt from a new book on American messianic movements.
Adam MorrisMar 26, 2019
- History
- Religion
A History of the Houston Rap Tapes: Lance Scott Walker and Jacques Morel in Conversation
Jacques Morel interviews Lance Scott Walker, who makes the case for Houston rap as a critical part of black history and of American music history.
Jacques MorelMar 25, 2019
- History
- Music