Historians in the News

Bloody Sunday, 1920: Too Many Historians Spoil the Doc

A documentary on a 1920 massacre of Irish sporting spectators in retaliation for the killing of British intelligence officers suffers from having too many talking heads in too short a running time, says a reviewer. 

Fitchburg State Professor Named to Library of Congress Task Force

Fitchburg (MA) State University professor Katherine Rye Jewell has been named to a Library of Congress task force for the preservation of college and community radio. 

The Impresarios of Trent: The Long and Frightening History of the Blood Libel (review)

Magda Teter's new book examines the history of the pernicious antisemitic myth, its cultivation by Christian authorities, and its amplification by the growth of print and literacy in renaissance Europe.

Preexisting Conditions: What 2020 Reveals About Our Urban Future

by Thomas J. Sugrue

Crisis Cities is a public symposium on the 2020 crises and their impact on urban life, co-organized by Public Books and the NYU Cities Collaborative. 

Dozens Of Academics Oppose New Controversial Yad Vashem Chair

Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt is among the academics criticizing the appointment of a right-wing politician to head the Israeli Holocaust memorial and educational center, arguing that his remarks toward Palestinians and Arab Israelis are disqualifying. 

When the White House Was Full of Claws, Scales, Stripes and Tails

Although dogs will return to the White House in January and revive a long tradition, past presidents have kept some unusual pets (also, Calvin Coolidge was gifted a raccoon to eat for Thanksgiving dinner). 

Princeton History Professor Says Biden Won With Unstable Democratic Coalition

Historian Matt Karp argues that the Democratic Party risks future defeat if it does not develop a strong economic populist message that appeals to Black and Latino voters. 

When False Allegations from Court Evangelical Charlie Kirk Resulted in Death Threats to a Harvard Professor

by John Fea

When right-wing outrage merchants charge professors with thought crimes, is it ethical for the media to amplify those charges without investigation? Tucker Carlson says "sure." 

‘The Reagans’ Review: Challenging a Leader’s Legacy

If the new Showtime documentary wishes to undermine the legacy of Ronald Reagan, one reviewer suggests it ultimately makes the 40th President more sympathetic and appealing. 

What We Can Learn About Nazi Psychology From the Wives of Hitler’s Top Officials

A new book, excerpted here, assess everyday life under Nazism by attention to the lives of the wives of leading Nazis. 

The Professor and the Politician

by Corey Robin

A new book on Max Weber's political thought suggests that prior interpretations of Weber's lectures have dismissed the possibility of collective action. 

A Brief History of Presidential Memoirs

Presidential historian Craig Fehrman says that presidents in the early republican period shunned writing memoirs as vain and self-promoting. The quality of many subsequent presidential books suggests they were on to something. How will the recent first volume of Obama's memoirs be received? 

Newton’s Daunting Masterpiece had a Surprisingly Wide Audience, Historians Find

Two historians of science have traced the ownership and sharing of Sir Isaac Newton's first edition of "Principia" to conclude that the book was more widely read and influential among Enlightenment thinkers than previously believed. 

What The 'Strongmen' Of History Reveal About Modern Politics

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat studies authoritarian regimes, like Italy under Mussolini. Can a democracy pry itself out of a strongman's grip?

The Next Decade Could Be Even Worse

Writer Graeme Wood profiles Peter Turchin, whose data-driven and predictive approach appeals to quantitative thinkers but is scorned by some historians. Turchin's analytics predict a period of political and social upheaval in industrialized societies. 

On Evangelical Masculinities (Review)

Journalist Daniel José Camacho reviews Kristin Kobes Du Mez's book "Jesus and John Wayne" and considers the way that masculinities are expressed in non-white evangelical communities. 

The Origins Of U.S. Global Dominance

by Daniel Larison

A conservative historian reviews a new book on the history of American interventionism and advocates for reorganizing foreign policy without the imperative to dominate the world. 

America Comes Out

A new book evaluates the origins and political evolution of "coming out" in gay America.

Was Reagan a Precursor to Trump? A New Documentary Says Yes

Reagan biographer Lou Cannon and historian Rick Perlstein contend the series misconstrues Reagan's politics by portraying him as a dog-whistling race baiter (Cannon says it's flat wrong, Perlstein says it's more complicated than that). 

What Is Trump Playing At?

Times Columnist Thomas B. Edsall interviews a number of historians for perspective on Trump's refusal to concede the election or acknowledge the legitimacy of his defeat. Although few think a coup is imminent, most agree that this is a dangerous precedent that is unlikely to vanish when Trump leaves the scene.