Historians in the News

Senegal historian decries long shadows of colonialism

“We know that Commander [Louis] Faidherbe, who gave the name to Dakar's biggest street today, killed 20,000 people in eight months.”

“As if George Wallace had won in 1968″

Historian Jon Meacham told “Morning Joe” that Trump’s “a return to the most disturbing elements of white supremacy.”

Mary Beard on big thinkers and 'sexist rants’

She wants to open up academic debates to a wider public, but she says a really important part of the message must be to make people realize that things can be “complicated.”

Daniel Pipes predicts chaos in the Middle East as countries turn away from fossil fuels

by Daniel Pipes

In brief, the world's chief trouble spot will retain its role, only more so.

John Fea’s new book sets out to explain why 81% of white American evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in 2016

The book: “Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump”

If postwar history starts in 1951, did the UK Tories ‘blue-wash’ the A-level syllabus?

Critics say the curriculum over-emphasizes the study of Winston Churchill.

US Senator (and historian) Ben Sasse has denounced the policy of separating children from parents at the border

by Jennifer Rubin

But a conservative columnist says he keeps failing to take action.

Stanley Fish says historians are deluded in thinking their training gives them special insights in politics that should be passed on to students (and others)

by Stanley Fish

He says they (and others) should stop trying to sell the humanities, claiming the effort will backfire.

Guest historian this week: Paul Krugman, the economist!

by Paul Krugman

In a recent blog post he says he’s been reading a lot of Roman history and has concluded the Romans used soft power just as we used to.

More fallout from SHAFR's decision to invite David Petraeus as keynote speaker

by John Prados

In an open letter to the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, a leading foreign policy historian says the group has shown poor judgment.

Randall Stephens predicts most evangelicals will probably fail to come to grips with Trump’s cynical manipulations, his divisive, culture-war grandstanding, his philandering, and his lying

by Randall J. Stephens

They’ll continue to vote Republican as they did after Nixon’s fall.

Wiliam Reese, Leading Seller of Rare Books, Is Dead at 62

For nearly 40 years, Mr. Reese shaped tastes, cultivated collectors and advised museums and libraries from his by-appointment-only store in New Haven.

Alisse Theodore points out that women first became politically active in the fight against Andrew Jackson’s genocidal Indian Removal campaign

They tried to prevent the Trail of Tears.

Library of Congress to Award Drew Gilpin Faust a $1 Million Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity

The prize, bestowed through the generosity of the late John W. Kluge, will be awarded during a gala ceremony in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress on Sept. 12, 2018.

‘EU is weakest world power’ Niall Ferguson says

The European Union is so poorly prepared for the challenges of the modern world that it may not exist in 10 years time.

Sociologist says northern newspapers should apologize for how THEY covered lynchings

by Charles Seguin

"We should welcome The Montgomery Advertiser’s efforts to come clean about the past. It is well past time that other papers, both Northern and Southern, follow their example."

Robert P. Newman, who played a central role in the Smithsonian Enola Gay controversy, has died

He was 96.

2 historians say the Dems are making a mistake trying to turn the suburbs blue

by Lily Geismer and Matthew D. Lassiter

In an op-ed in the NYT Lily Geismer and Matthew Lassiter argue that the compromises needed to win over the suburbs are undermining the progressive agenda.

Woodrow Wilson’s Papers Go Digital, Leaving Microfiche Behind

This increased accessibility of Wilson’s papers coincides with a new wave of interest in the 28th president.

Historian lifts the veil on cross-dressing in the English Civil War

Mark Stoyle says he’s "unearthed some compelling pieces of evidence which allow us to explore the practice and what people thought about it at the time.”