Historians in the News

A Family Therapist Looks to Historians for Insight on the Changing Forms of Family Estrangement

Stephanie Coonts and Steven Mintz say that the shift in family bonds from obligation and resources to personal growth and happiness have exacerbated tensions and increased the level of estrangement in multigenerational families. 

Was Present-Day Panama the Site of the First Slave Revolt in the Americas?

Papers in the General Archive of the Indies in Sevilla, Spain, helped Robert Schwaller to challenge the established timeline and expand the geography of slave rebellion in the Americas.

New Anthology Mistakes the Roots of the Problem as "Misinformation" Rather than Power

by Paul M. Renfro and Matthew E. Stanley

The new "Myth America" offers insight into some recurrent myths about history from some excellent scholars, but it hews too closely to the idea that historical lies are a Trumpian phenomenon, rather than a broader aspect of the pursuit and consolidation of power for MAGA and New Democrats alike. 

The History Wars Were Front and Center at the AHA Meeting

Questions raised by a controversial op-ed by AHA President James Sweet inevitably hung over the annual meeting as scholars met amid political attacks from without and debates within the profession. 

Lizabeth Cohen Reviews "Myth America"

Although it was inspired by the battles over history encouraged by the Trump administration and the MAGA movement, a new book of essays on historical mythmaking actually shows that spinning the past to serve a present agenda is nothing new. For historians, the task isn't just fact-finding, but offering compelling interpretations. 

Alphabet Politics: What Caused the Development of Writing?

by Josephine Quinn

Much remains unknown about the earliest development of written language; two new books make important contributions.   

How History Forgot the Rosewood Killings

"In January 1923, Rosewood was wiped off the map by a week of mob violence, then erased from history by people who didn’t want to talk about what had happened to the town’s primarily Black residents."

Three Historians: What to Expect in 2023

Kerri Greenidge, Kellie Carter Jackson, and Michael Jeffries discuss the broader history of the big events of 2022 and how historical trajectories might continue or diverge in 2023. 

The Ghosts of Kennan and Lessons of the Cold War

by Frederik Logevall

George Kennan was instrumental in defining the doctrine of containment, but later objected to the bellicosity undertaken in its name. Key parts of his intellectual journey have remained obscure; a new book tries to examine them and draw lessons for foreign policy today. 

Florida's Anti-CRT Law is Influencing Professors to Cancel Classes on Race

Faculty, particularly those without tenure protections, are deciding that the vague terms and harsh penalties in the state's new law make the risk of teaching about racism too high. 

Restored Victor Hugo Statue Vandalized by French Rightists Claiming "Wokeism" Run Amok

The statue in the author's birth city of Besançon has become a lightning rod for controversy after a restoration aimed at returning to the vision of Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow was seen as presenting the author as Black.  

Stanley Nelson Lauded for Work Preserving Records of Violence Against Civil Rights Workers

Nelson wrote two books on "cold cases" linked to Klan activity in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

The Think Tank Trying to Defund Public Sector Unions

Labor historian Lane Windham describes a well-funded effort to encourage union members to opt out of paying dues, a strategy designed to force their unions to do more with less. Organizing to recruit new members and energize existing ones is the way to fight back. 

Ted Kennedy Bios Show Liberalism's Trials, and its Necessity

by David Masciotra

As liberalism is under attack from the right and from a growing left, the author argues that recent biographies of Ted Kennedy illustrate the imperfections and trials of the idea, but show it's still the best option for organizing a free and fair society.

2022's Lesson? Billionaires Bad, Actually

Tech historian Margaret O'Mara says Musk, like other tech moguls, has long been supported by a myth of the individual genius that is only now being overturned by his erratic decisionmaking, boosting of right-wing conspiracy theories, and incredibly thin-skinned reaction to criticism. 

Fifth LBJ Volume by Caro "In Works"

The latest volume is planned to cover the years from Johnson's first full year in the presidency in 1964 until his death in 1973.

The Redistributive Agenda of the New International Economic Order, and How the IMF Thwarted It

by Sarah Babb

Henry Kissinger responded diplomatically to demands from Third World nations for changes in trade and investment rules to alleviate inequality with a pragmatic approach that recognized inequality as a major issue, but prevented poor nations from forming a united front or organizing around their more radical demands. 

Are Conservatives Really Pulling Ahead in the Comedy Race?

Does a ratings boost for Greg Gutfeld's late-night show mean that today's conservatives are the funny ones and liberals are too "woke" to laugh? Answering the question means looking past party loyalty to ask what makes humor, says humor historian Teresa Prados-Terreira. 

Americans Have Always Imagined and Demanded Better Alternatives; Those Alternatives Have Been Hidden

by Jamelle Bouie

Thomas Skidmore's critique of inequality held that the inequality of private property consigned the majority of humanity to toil for the enjoyment of a minority, a situation irreconcilable with democracy. 

Historians Predict How History Will Remember January 6

Historians of the Civil War era including Manisha Sinha and Joanne Freeman, suggest that the Jan. 6 Committee has assembled a documentary record of events that can support a definitive understanding of events. But what politicians and voters make of the information will determine what history is written.