Roundup

East LA Bid for Independence Could Achieve a Key Victory

by Eric Avila

"The campaign for special district status would allow East L.A. to inch closer to the right of self-determination afforded to so many other Southland communities."

In Praise of Possibility

by Michele Alacevich

Albert O. Hirschman's approach to development economics stressed the need to understand "hidden rationalities" of developing societies and use them to create change.

A Wakeup for the Left on Free Speech?

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Liberals who seek to restrict hurtful speech shouldn't be surprised when conservative lawmakers apply that principle to regulate what can be taught in history classrooms. 

‘The Green Knight’ Adopts a Medieval Approach to ‘Modern’ Problems

by David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele

Modern psychological dramas in the Arthurian film aren't foreign to the Middle Ages; they're there in the original text. Viewers should reconsider what they "know" about the medieval period. 

The Migration Crisis is a Gendered Violence Crisis

by Laura Briggs and María Josefina Saldaña-Portillo

Central American women are frequently pushed to migrate by the threat of sexual violence. American policy inflicts further gendered harm through family separation and border militarization. 

Under Columbus, Georgia: What Folklore Erases

by Bryan Banks

Subterranean tunnels under Columbus, Georgia have been repurposed as part of dramatic stories of crime, emancipation, and war, tales which obscure the more prosaic and violent aspects of the town's history. 

Moral Injury and the Forever Wars

by Kelly Denton-Borhaug

"Andy’s story clarifies a reality Americans badly need to grasp: the destruction of war goes far beyond its intended targets. In the end, its violence is impossible to control."

Texas and Oklahoma's Move to the SEC is a Major Blow to the NCAA

by Andrew McGregor

The move by two power programs in college football will create a Southeastern Conference that rivals the NCAA in power, part of a longstanding battle between individual colleges and the NCAA that may overthrow the rules of amateurism in college sports. 

MacKenzie Scott's HBCU Donations Contrast with the History of Funding for Black Education

by Tyrone McKinley Freeman

The philanthropist's contributions are noteworthy not just for their scope, but for her willingness to allow universities to follow their own judgment in how to spend the funds, something white donors have historically been unwilling to do. 

Simone Biles is the Latest Olympian to Withhold Her Labor for Change

by Johanna Mellis

Simone Biles' decision not to compete in several gymnastic events is part of a legacy of athletes' refusal to compete dating back to Hungarian athletes' protests of Communist repression in 1956. 

Letters from an American: The Rising Appeal of Hungary on the US Right

by Heather Cox Richardson

Tucker Carlson's fawning visit to Viktor Orban's Hungary, at a time when the right is mobilizing to subvert future American elections, is an ominous signal of the growing contempt for democracy on the right. 

We've Begun to Confront Christian White Nationalism. But What About the Source Text?

by Dianne M. Stewart

Critics of emergent White Christian Nationalism too often stop short of a key point: the Bible's explicit endorsement of war, conquest and genocide back up an eliminationist political outlook on the right. 

August 1 Was Emancipation Day in Britain, but Abolition Didn't Create Freedom

by Padraic X. Scanlon

Emancipation in the British West Indies was accompanied by policies that maintained the racial hierarchy necessary for profit through labor exploitation. 

A Warning Ignored: The Kerner Commission after a Half Century

by Jelani Cobb

The Kerner Report and the wave of unrest after the killing of George Floyd show that it is possible to be entirely cognizant of history and repeat it anyway.

Will Black Students Return to Schools After COVID?

by Adam Laats

There is reason to believe that the COVID crisis will push many Black parents to conclude that their local public schools are failing their children and to seek alternatives. In the past, similar movements have pointed the way to new models of education. 

History and Military Policy: Are We Asking the Right Questions?

by Francis J. Gavin

Foreign policy makers have often use superficial interpretations of the past to advance particular agendas. What might a deeper historicism in the field look like?   

‘Outing’ of Priest Shows Power and Partisanship of Catholic Media

by Peter Cajka

Reporting on a scandal involving a priest's use of a gay hookup app highlights the growing ideological divisions in the American church and the nation's Catholic media. 

The Roundup Top Ten for July 30, 2021

The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week. 

Make the Military a Tool of Real National Defense

by William Astore

The military-industrial complex has not only blocked a post-Cold War peace dividend, it now actively undermines the domestic security of the United States. What would a people's military look like? 

Addressing Gun Violence Means Looking Beyond Policing

by Menika Dirkson

Between 1969 and 1976, Philadelphia saw success with a program to connect youth to social services, education and work opportunity, but turned toward militarized policing in the 1970s. This history should guide urban leaders away from the "tough on crime" approach.