Historians in the News

How Today’s Protests Compare to 1968, Explained by a Historian

The Pulitzer Prize winning historian and President of the Urban History Association: "If there’s nothing else I’d love for your readership to think of, it’s this: If you have 75+ cities burning, what does it say that from the leadership at every level, the only response has been more police?"

What Is Antifa, the Movement Trump Wants to Declare a Terror Group?

History professors Mark Bray and Ruth Ben-Ghiat help break down the definition, origins, goals and methods of antifa.

Confronting the History of a Southern Asylum: An Interview With Mab Segrest

Dr. Segrest's new book uncovers the harrowing story of the Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum.

Nazi or Hero? Historian Looks at the Stories a German Consultant Told of His Father

A study from historian Michael Wolffsohn finds some truth and some falsehoods in a prominent businessman’s portrayal of his father as a Nazi resister.

History, Right Now: Echoes of 1968, and Other American Years

Historian Thurston Clarke describes the year 2020 as "a convergence of the greatest catastrophes of the past 100 years or so, all hitting us at once."

Don't Assume There'll be a 'Post-COVID-19 Era' - Historian Niall Ferguson Tells World vs Virus

"I don't think we should assume there'll be a post-COVID-19 era, any more than there's a post-influenza era, or a post-tuberculosis era, or a post-AIDS era," says historian Niall Ferguson.

Words Matter When Talking About Race, Unrest, Experts Say

UCLA historian Robin Kelley insists rebellions occur when the usual channels for affecting change in a democracy – nonviolent protest, voting – have been ineffective, and the term "riot" obscures that fact.

What is Antifa

Historian Mark Bray explains that Antifa activists continue a historical lineage of directly opposing racists and fascists because they suspect that the authorities are sympathetic to far-right groups. 

Polish Historian Ewa Kurek: Coronavirus is ‘Jewification’ of Europe

Kurek is infamous for her radical arguments about the Holocaust, which include denial of Polish crimes against Jews. Now she invokes conspiratorial ideas about Jewish control of Europe.

If Trump Is Caligula, There Could Be Some Unexpected Benefits

How the story of a Roman emperor planning to appoint his horse as consul relates to the Trump administration, with input from historian Aloys Winterling.

Q&A: Historian Andrew Kahrl On The Segregation History Of Lincoln Beach And Plans To Reopen It

The long-shuttered African American beach was created to preserve segregation in New Orleans.

Rutger Bregman on His Intellectual Journey and the Problems of the Speaking Circuit

“Powerful players pay obscene sums for talks. For a 10-minute speech you can get my mother’s annual salary in special education. Generally, the more you’re paid, the dumber your audience. The cleverest audiences are students and, of course, old people."

National Protests over George Floyd's Death was 'Conflagration Waiting to Happen'

The atmosphere of these protests echoes those of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, according to historian Saje Mathieu.

George Floyd’s Death and the Long History of Racism in Minneapolis

“Structural racism is really baked into the geography of this city and as a result it really permeates every institution in this city," says historian Kirsten Delegard.

Historian on White House Response to COVID: "Clearly, They Have Not Told the Truth"

Historian John Barry, who studied the influenza outbreak of 1918, evaluates the current administration's handling of COVID-19.

This Election Isn't 1968 or 1992 or 2016

Richard Nixon won by portraying himself as a unifier against an out-of-control left; Bill Clinton won reelection by carefully navigating the politics of crime and unrest. There is nothing very careful, yet, about what we've seen from this president.

The History Behind 'When The Looting Starts, The Shooting Starts'

Donald Trump claimed to be ignorant of the origins of a phrase he tweeted warning of violent consequences for looters.

The Flawed Politics of a Law-and-Order Campaign

by Walter Shapiro

Looking back at the early Nixon years with a half-century’s hindsight actually offers reasons to hope. Even in 1968 and the divisive 1970 congressional elections that followed, voters were not easily gulled by Republican rabble-rousing.

The Fire This Time

by Jeet Heer

These two crucial differences—the fact that a Republican is presiding over the chaos and that the opposition to police violence is racially diverse—open the possibility for a better outcome than in 1968.

The Conspiracy Theories That Fueled the Civil War

The most powerful people and institutions in the South spread paranoia and fear to protect slavery, leading the country to war, as historians Matthew J. Clavin and Manisha Sinha explain.