Historians in the News

The Book That Stopped an Outbreak of Nuclear War

Serhii Plokhy adds new insight to the Cuban Missile Crisis by examining the domestic political context of the Soviet Union and the political incentives toward nuclear brinksmanship. 

'The Making Of Biblical Womanhood' Tackles Contradictions In Religious Practice

"In her new book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth, historian Beth Allison Barr traces cultural sources of patriarchy that have all but erased women's historical importance as leaders of the faith."

The Real Black Panthers

Historian Donna Murch joins NPR's The Throughline to discuss the Black Panther Party's agenda and its targeting by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. 

Whither the Religious Left?

by Matthew Sitman

Has the considerable effort spent for decades to court a "religious left" as a Democratic constituency been a waste of time? Why haven't faith-based social justice movements been more signiicant in the party's base? 

“Containment and Control, Not Care or Cure”: An Interview with Elizabeth Catte on Virginia’s Eugenics Movement

by Sarah Calise

"I decided to have a 'turn to the camera' moment in Pure America and just explicitly say that I think the eugenicists I write about are rotten people, not particularly smart or even interesting, and that I’d present evidence they lied and bluffed and enjoyed hurting people."

The Sun Never Set on the British Empire’s Oppression

While nationalist leaders in postcolonial states win political support by invoking heroic struggle to defeat British imperialism, they are very happy to use the repressive laws of colonialism against dissidents today. 

Teaching: More Pandemic-Driven Innovations Professors Like

"The themes running through all of these innovations are flexibility and engagement: The more ways in which people can participate in the classroom, contribute to discussions, and share their ideas, readers found, the more learning improves."

How Amsterdam Recovered From a Deadly Outbreak — in 1665

Attracting migrants was the key to Amsterdam's economic and social recovery, according to a study of historical data by two Dutch economists. 

How White Fears of ‘Negro Domination’ Kept D.C. Disenfranchised for Decades

George Derek Musgrove and Chris Myers-Asch, authors of "Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital" have recently written a report for a nonprofit advocating DC statehood. They argue that Congressional efforts to disempower DC residents after 1871 have reflected White fears of Black political power. 

How Americans Lost Their Fervor for Freedom (Review of Louis Menand)

by Evan Kindley

Before lamenting the death of "freedom" as the highest social ideal, it's important to reckon seriously with what the term means outside of the context of the Cold War.

Professor Imani Perry Looks At Police Violence Through Lens Of History

The Princeton professor of African American Studies discusses earlier patterns of state-sanctioned violence against African Americans and the politics of images of police violence. 

Sounds of Freedom: The Music of Black Liberation

Shana Redmond and Rickey Vincent discuss their research, which deals with the ways that musical expression has been integrated into the politics of Black freedom in different moments (and different musical styles, including the Black Panther Party's own funk band). 

Register for Profs and Pints with Denver Brunsman: The 1814 Burning of Washington

Historian Denver Brunsman will join the Profs and Pints series of (virtual) discussions to talk about the British attack on Washington in 1814 and its impact on American nationalism and the local urban boosters of the capital city. 

U-M Medical Historian Says It Appears History Is Repeating Itself In Our Current Pandemic

Medical Historian Alex Navarro warns that resistance to vaccines and public health measures are likely to prolong the COVID pandemic the way they did the 1919 influenza. 

Baylor Professor Argues 'Biblical Womanhood' More Cultural Than Biblical

Beth Allison Barr argues that contemporary Christianity's doctrines on gender roles in the family are influenced more by the historical claim to power by men than by clear scriptural dictate, and that there are numerous historical examples of differently-ordered gender roles in Christianity. 

Don’t Cancel John Muir (But Don't Excuse Him Either)

Reckoning with John Muir's legacy of racial prejudice isn't just about imposing moral purity, it's about rethinking the conservation movement to include the broad coalition of humanity needed to protect natural resources. 

Unsung and Unknown — Graphic Biography Details Life of First Black Lieutenant Governor, Oscar Dunn

Professor Brian Mitchell's path into history began with a teacher's disbelief that one of his relatives had been the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana. He now tells the story of Oscar Dunn in a graphic form to make it as widely accessible as possible. 

Is Congress Falling for Scheme to Ruin Civics and History Classes?

Education scholar Mark Bauerlein has criticized the new Civics Secures Democracy Act as a subsidy for politically correct indoctrination in schools, though others disagree with his recent Manhattan Institute findings. 

The First ‘Vaccine Passports’ Were Scars from Smallpox Vaccinations

Faced with unreliable and falsifiable documentation, public health authorities at the turn of the 20th century demanded physical proof of vaccination: the scarring left by the early technique, says smallpox historian Michael Willrich.

Miami Professor Writes Book for Young Readers about Roosevelt’s Fight with Polio

Journalism professor and FDR biographer James Tobin describes the work of making the story of Roosevelt's battle with polio and its effect on his political life accessible to young readers.