Historians in the News

Mike Davis Could See the Future

by Hua Hsu

Often wrongly called a "prophet of doom," Mike Davis worked to show how digging up the past could point the way to a humane future. 

Kidada Williams Joins Chris Hayes to Talk Reconstruction and Political Violence

"Ex-Confederates didn't let go of slavery lightly. They did what they could to hold on to it. And so, African-Americans largely had to fight their way out of bondage."

California Historians and Writers Remember Mike Davis

Matt Garcia, William Deverell and others share personal reflections on their personal and professional intersections with the mold-breaking historian and activist. 

"Treason to Whiteness is Loyalty to Humanity": A Posthumous Collection of Noel Ignatiev's Radical History

by Mike King

A posthumous collection of writings by the historian and labor activist reveals his practice-based thoughts on work, power, and politics, and the necessity of abolishing the idea of whiteness to create working class solidarity and power. 

Mike Davis, 1946-2022

by Jon Wiener

"Mike hated being called “a prophet of doom.” Yes, LA did explode two years after City of Quartz; the fires and floods did get more intense after Ecology of Fear, and of course a global pandemic did follow The Monster at Our Door."

Edward Miller on Why Republicans Won't Dump Alex Jones

Only a tiny majority of Republicans in contested races will go on record with an opinion about Sandy Hook conspiracist Alex Jones. A historian of the conspiratorial far right explains why. 

Patrick Luck on How the American Slavery Economy Shifted from Tobacco to Cotton and Sugar

Historians have long recognized that the southern economy shifted from tobacco and indigo cultivation toward cotton and sugar in the late 18th century. A new book examines this revolutionary economic change and how free and enslaved Louisianans experienced it. 

The AHA Announces 2022 Prize Winners

Congratulations to this years honorees for publication, teaching, mentoring and service to the profession. 

Tim Snyder: Why Putin Wants the Republicans in Power

Although the Republicans are split, it seems clear that Putin is working to boost the isolationist elements of the MAGA movement at a moment when Ukrainian forces are close to defeating Russia's invasion with international and American support. 

Matthew Delmont Discusses the Black American Experience of World War II

The African American experience of war began before Pearl Harbor, and was always grounded in the imperative of defeating a global fascist movement lest it gain more traction in the United States. 

Ahmed White: How Capital Crushed the IWW

Ahmed White's book on the IWW examines the effort to crush the radical union, and how the war on radical labor impacted free speech, political representation, and freedom of association. 

What Should Stanford Make of a Closed "Academic Freedom" Conference?

by Len Gutkin

"A conference on academic freedom to which the uninvited are unfree to attend is a parody."

Tools and Resources for Faculty to Fight Austerity

by Aimee Loiselle and Jennifer M. Miller

Faculty and students concerned with influencing the operations of their own campuses need to understand how university budgeting and finance work, and not leave that knowledge in the hands of administrators alone. 

Steve Waksman on the History of Live Music in America

Waksman's new book explains how a live performance depends on the confluence of art and business. 

Two Books Highlight the Internal Flux and Politics of the Chinese Communist Party

Books by Frank Dikötter and Julian Gewirtz highlight the path taken by the Chinese Communist state leading to the recent 20th party conference, and the alternative paths untaken. 

Steve Knott: Coming to Terms with "Camelot"

by Tom Nichols

Tom Nichols interviews presidential historian Steve Knott, who discusses how the JFK legacy has shifted with political trends and how the JFK Library has sometimes put politics over history. 

Today's Conflicts Among American Jews Rooted in Political Origins of Conservative Judaism

The tendency of many Conservative Jewish leaders to eschew partisan politics isn't a reaction to recent polarization, it's the result of a century old effort by influential donors to the Jewish Theological Seminary to marginalize radical immigrants from American Jewish life. 

A New Framework of Values for Universities?

Historians Jennifer Mittelstadt and Davarian Baldwin discuss how universities must reject the "ivory tower" model to be contributors to the well-being of the communities around them as well as to maintain their intellectual vitality. 

Katherine Corcoran's Book Examines the Killing of Mexican Journalist Regina Martinez

While a book by the former AP Mexico City bureau chief shows the depth of corruption and political violence in Mexico, it also shows the integrity and courage of Mexican citizens and journalists who dare to demand better. 

How the Government Used the First World War to Crush the American Left

Adam Hochshild's book details the intersection of patriotism and legal repression that stifled the broad left in the United States, and explains how the war to "make the world safe for democracy" evinced an impoverished understanding of the term.