History

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

Unforgettable, Unrememberable: The Thammasat Massacre in Thailand
Testifying to a right-wing massacre of students in 1976 Thailand.
Suchada ChakpisuthJul 15, 2018
Cheerful Contrarian: Freeman Dyson’s Letters
Sara Lippincott parses theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson's "Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters."
Sara LippincottJul 14, 2018
The Second City of Black America
Greg Barnhisel reviews “Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance.”
Greg BarnhiselJul 8, 2018
- History
- Music
A Different Backstory for Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon”
Rebecca Panovka explores the background of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo.’”
Rebecca PanovkaJul 7, 2018
- History
- Nonfiction
It’s in There Somewhere
Have we been here before? Bryan Wisch reviews Jon Meacham's "The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels."
Bryan WischJul 7, 2018
- History
- Politics
Killing Democracy to Save It
How an idealistic defense intellectual concluded that democracy is often its own worst enemy.
John GanzJul 6, 2018
- History
- Politics
A Force That Matters?
How did the 19th-century Catholic Church, in all its anti-modern grandeur and opulence, beget the 21st-century Church we see today?
Cormac ShineJul 1, 2018
- History
- Religion
Pilot’s Eye View: Sam Kleiner’s “The Flying Tigers”
Nicholas Utzig reviews “The Flying Tigers,” a historical work by Sam Kleiner.
Nicholas UtzigJul 1, 2018
- Around the World
- History
Los Angeles Pictured
Joshua Glick's "Los Angeles Documentary" is an encouragement to engage, now, with documentaries being made at the grassroots level by activist filmmakers.
Nora StoneJun 29, 2018
- Film
- History
The Long View: Surveillance, the Internet, and Government Research
Eric Gade reviews “Surveillance Valley,” about military funding and surveillance use in the early years of the internet.
Eric GadeJun 28, 2018
- History
- Science & Technology
“A Lovely Grave for Learning”: Exhuming the Dead of Guatemala’s Genocide
A journey into the mass graves of Guatemala.
Alexa HagertyJun 25, 2018
Left Mountebanks: On Agnès Poirier’s “Left Bank: Art, Passion, and the Rebirth of Paris, 1940–1950”
Robert Zaretsky finds fault with “Left Bank: Art, Passion, and the Rebirth of Paris, 1940–1950” by Agnès Poirier.
Robert ZaretskyJun 19, 2018
- Art & Architecture
- History