Historians in the News

Jill Lepore Debunks Elon Musk's Futurism

Is Elon Musk's worldview based in a singularly weird interpretation of the sci-fi books he devoured as a kid? Jill Lepore discusses the rise of the self-styled comic book hero CEO as a matter of confusing dystopia for a how-to guide. 

What if the Constitution is the Source of Democratic Erosion?

by Noah Feldman

James Madison feared from the beginning that the design of the US Senate was contrary to the core principles of a democratic republic. A Harvard Law professor says that if the nation can survive with a fundamentally undemocratic institution at the heart of the government, partisan gerrymandering might not be too bad. 

A Brief History of Violence in the Capitol

Historian Joanne Freeman explains that the threat of violence has been a useful tool for minority factions in the government to thwart opposition, both in the pre-Civil War era and today.   

Painful, Cutting, and Brilliant: The Meaning of Freedom in Letters to Former Enslavers

by Gillian Brockell

Wages and economic security, citizenship rights and family unification were core concerns addressed in letters from free Black people to their former enslavers. 

Erin Thompson's "Smashing Statues": Tear 'Em All Down

How does taking down a statue relate to the more complicated work of eliminating the racist ideas and structures that put it up? 

Famous and Hidden Women's Friendships that Made History

In the arts, politics, and civil rights activism, here are five friendships among prominent women that helped drive change. 

John Fea Interviews David Sehat on American Secularism

"American secularism was the result of a layered religious conflict in the 20th century that played out in the courts and that left the U.S. Supreme Court with no option but the adoption of a secular order as a condition of social peace and political equality."

Is the West Laissez-Faire About Sanctions?

If economic sanctions become a replacement for military force in international conflict, they also risk becoming a normal part of nationalist economic policy that escalates international rivalry as a feature of the global economy. 

Historian Marci Shore's Recommended Books for Understanding Ukraine

Including history, memoir, political theory and fiction, the Yale historian of Ukraine recommends 9 books to those looking to get up to speed on the history of the crisis. 

Nicholas Mulder: When Sanctions Work – And Don't

The economic historian argues that broad sanctions, like suspending Russian access to PayPal and other internet banking, may alienate the civilians necessary to put political pressure on the Kremlin, while also disrupting energy and food markets in ways that will be difficult to predict. 

Even for Polio, Parents were Slow to Vaccinate their Kids

Dropping the historically unsupported contrast between the uptake of the polio and COVID vaccines by parents of young children should prompt us to stop moralizing and start considering the social, political, and economic factors, including poor healthcare access, that always hinder vaccine campaigns in the US.

When Did They Decide? The Wannsee Conference in the Context of Nazi Antisemitism

by Christopher R. Browning

What does a new book add to our understanding of the Nazi decision to pursue genocide against Europe's Jews? 

Bad Economics

by Simon Torracinta

A historian of science reviews three books on the history of economic thought, which support the conclusion that the ideas animating the mainstream of the discipline and enabling it to dominate discussions of policy are badly in need of reexamination. 

Review: The Pragmatism of Police Abolition

Activist and police abolitionist Derecka Purnell's book draws on personal and academic history to push readers to question what they think an ideal society looks like, and whether police forces are an instrument for achieving it. 

Smithsonian to Return All Benin Bronzes

The Smithsonian will return works that it has legal title to own but that are linked to an infamous British raid on Benin City in 1897.

How did this Level of Death Become Normal?

In absolute and relative terms, The United States has fared horribly in the coronavirus pandemic. Historians and social scientists help writer Ed Yong explain why the nation meets mass death with a collective shrug. 

NYHS Announces Annual Constitutional History Seminar: The Contested Right to Vote

The Bonnie and Richard Reiss Graduate Institute for Constitutional History is pleased to announce its spring 2022 seminar for advanced graduate students and junior faculty.

Historians on the Lessons from 1918's Pandemic Fatigue

Medical historians Nancy Bristow and Thomas Ewing reflect on how public discontent with public health measures has limited the society's capacity to control pandemics. 

Is there Any Place for Patriotism on the Left? Michael Kazin and Rafia Zakaria Debate

Does patriotism help people on the left engage with the democratic process, ensuring it isn't dominated by the right? Or does it stop people from developing the international consciousness needed to address the world's problems? 

What Can the History of Antivax Movements Tell Us about the Future of COVID?

Medical historian Nadja Durbach and philosopher Maya Goldenberg explain that challenges posed by vaccine resistance and mistrust of health authorities are not new; the lesson to learn isn't that resistance is inevitable, but that some of the social conflicts supporting it can be addressed.