Historians in the News

Grave Is Found at Site of Historic Black Church in Colonial Williamsburg

The excavation may have discovered the remains of a Baptist congregation dating to the late 18th century, and may prompt a rethinking of the place of African American history in the open museum of Colonial Williamsburg.

The Ugliest Presidential Election in History: Fraud, Voter Intimidation and a Backroom Deal

Any comparison between the disputed election of 1876 and today must put the role of racist terrorism against black voters by figures like South Carolina's "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman at the center of analysis, contents Ronald G. Shafer. 

A History of Felines, as Narrated and Illustrated by a Cat

A new book presents a history of significant cats and the human-feline relationship, with a substantial assist from the author's cat. 

When Sunday Comes: Gospel Music in the Soul and Hip-Hop Eras

by Claudrena N. Harold

Professor Harold's new book looks at gospel music in the late 20th century and reappraises it as a period of artistic innovation, not of misguided pursuit of commercial or crossover success. 

How to Shame a Dictator

The families of victims of Argentina's far-right "dirty war" didn't let the perpetrators go unpunished after regime change; they took direct action to expose those who committed crimes and pressed for the repeal of amnesty laws. 

Female Pirate Lovers Whose Story was Ignored by Male Historians Immortalized with Statue

A new memorial recognizes the relationship of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read and secures their place in the history of piracy.

The Devil Had Nothing to Do With It

by Greil Marcus

The music writer looks at three recent books on the Mississippi blues singer and guitarist Robert Johnson, looking to pull his story out of the realm of myth. 

What Did Europe Smell Like Centuries Ago? Historians Set Out to Recreate Lost Scents

An ambitious project seeks to make museums a more immersive experience by using big data to mine primary sources for references to scent and use chemistry and perfumerie to recreate the mix of odors characteristic of a time and place. 

Virtual Assignment Charrette: Get Feedback on Your Virtual Assignments and Assessments

The AHA's virtual meeting will include a workshop for virtual history assignments and assessments; applicants can receive in-depth feedback on design and execution. 

The Untouchables: An Investigation into the Violence of the Chicago Police

by Paul Solotaroff

Historian Simon Balto is among experts who place the Chicago Police Department's treatment of the city's Black communities in historical perspective. 

Hong Kong's New Rules have Created Confusion in the Classroom. Some Parents are Pulling their Children Out

While pro-Beijing lawmakers stress the need to promote national unity through civics education, educators, historians and parents in Hong Kong expect censorship and indoctrination under new restrictions. 

The Thanksgiving Myth Gets a Deeper Look This Year

“There was an event that happened in 1621,” Wampanoag historian Linda Coombs said. “But the whole story about what occurred on that first Thanksgiving was a myth created to make white people feel comfortable.” Native activists hope to disrupt the stories of Thanksgiving by questioning public history and by recovering indigenous food practices.

NYHS Fellowships for 2021-22 Deadlines Begin in January

The New York Historical Society reminds potential candidates that the deadline for most of its fellowships for the 2021-22 academic year is January 15. 

Whitewashing the Great Depression (Review)

Three new books describe the role of administrator Roy Stryker of the Farm Security Administration in filtering the photographic work of Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans and Russell Lee to emphasize the depression's burden on rural whites. 

A Bold Anthology Shows How R-I-G-H-T and W-R-I-T-E Come Together in Black Poetry

The incoming director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture has published an anthology of Black American poetry that speaks to the ways that the arts and poets in particular have articulated and spread the cause of liberation. 

The Outrage Peddlers Are Here to Stay

Campus Reform seeks to "stoke outrage at ‘liberal’ professors, with the political intent of creating a viral sensation that circulates through a highly partisan right-wing media ecosystem, and into the broader public discussion,” says Isaac Camola, a political science professor who has been active in organizing professors who are targeted by outrage campaigns.

How to Recreate Your Lost Family Recipes, According to Historians and Chefs

Chefs and historians of food cultures are working to build public understanding of the history of immigration and the African diaspora through knowledge of cooking and eating practices.

German Historians on Frontlines of Politics

German historians have faced lawsuits for writing about World War II-era crimes by the Wehrmacht, part of a growing culture war in which right-wing Germans seek to deny or diminish the Holocaust and Nazi war crimes.

Online Book Talk with Author Garrett Felber on The Nation of Islam and Mass Incercaration (11/20)

Garrett Felber's book takes a new look at the Nation of Islam and reveals a multifaceted freedom struggle that focused as much on policing and prisons as on school desegregation and voting rights.

Enslaved, Terrorized, Disenfranchised: Black Americans Still Found Ways to Change America (Review)

by Kerri Greenidge

A professor of African diaspora studies reviews two recent books about the antebellum period as part of a scholarly trend to recognize not only that slaves worked to achieve their own freedom but that the acts of fugitive slaves shaped the path to war, emancipation and abolition.