Historians in the News

A historian's expose leads Mennonites to apologize for history of sex abuse following theologian John Howard Yoder scandal

Rachel Waltner Goossen, a Mennonite, is a history professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.

Renowned historian and academic Richard Fox Young alleges that Indian research scholar and writer Rajeev Malhotra has plagiarized his works

Young resorted to Twitter to complain.  Malhotra then used Twitter to respond.

Historian: "I don’t want my students to simply choose sides in a polemic between heritage and hate"

by David C. Williard

Historian David C. Williard says he wants his students to understand the context of the debate over the Confederate flag.

Harvard’s Nancy Cott says the dissenters in the gay marriage case have a stilted idea of the history of marriage

by Nancy F. Cott

"History, like the Constitution, can be read in more than one way."

Did a historian who said he’s a victim of McCarthyism get the story wrong?

by A.J. Caschetta

Rhodes College history professor Jonathan Judaken accused a critic of a smear job. Here’s the response.

Stephanie Coontz’s work on the history of marriage cited by the Supreme Court.

When Reagan-appointed Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote his gay- marriage opinion, it turns out he was channeling an Evergreen State College professor.

How Does It Feel To Have One’s Work as a Historian Cited by the Supreme Court? Cool. Very Cool. Thank You Very Much.

by Hendrik Hartog

Hendrik Hartog reflects on the Supreme Court’s decision to cite the work of historians.

NYT History Book Reviews: Who Got Noticed this Week?

by Erik Moshe

This week ... books about Nixon (reviewed by David Greenberg) and Joseph Ellis's latest exegesis on the Founding Fathers.

David Hackett Fischer wins $100,000 prize for lifetime achievement in military writing

The Pritzker Literature Award—which includes a medallion, citation, and $100,000 honorarium—recognizes and honors the contributions of a living author for a body of work dedicated to enriching the understanding of military history.

Russian historian slams Putin

Andrej Zubov says Russian youth must learn from history

Historians and archivists say the NY Public Library no longer functions as a world-class research library

by Scott Sherman

What went wrong at one of the world’s eminent research institutions?

WaPo chastised for ignoring Venona Papers in obit for Allen Weinstein

The papers implicate Alger Hiss in espionage.  But another letter writer claims that Weinstein got facts wrong in his book on Hiss.

In gay marriage decision, Supreme Court turns to historians for insight

Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion leaned heavily on the historians' argument that, while marriage has traditionally been between one man and one woman, it has greatly evolved along with society and the law.

Sam Haselby argues religion trumps politics in his new book

by Gordon Wood

Gordon Wood, in a review, wonders if it's because Haselby spent 6 years teaching in the Middle East.

Michael Oren and the End of Liberal Zionism

There’s so much to unpack about former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren’s recent forays into generating book publicity.

Humanist among machines

As the dreams of Silicon Valley fill our world, could the dowdy historian Arnold Toynbee help prevent a nightmare?

Biologist hired to teach a course on the history of Israel is condemned as an "Israel-Hating Professor"

by Paul Miller

George Smith was hired to teach class on Israel at U of Missouri.

Eric Foner says the face of racism now isn’t a slaveowner (interview)

In an interview with Salon he puts Charleston in perspective.

Citing Ben Affleck’s ‘Improper Influence,’ PBS Suspends ‘Finding Your Roots’

Host Henry Louis Gates apologizes

Chad Williams Crowdsources a Syllabus on the Charleston Shootings

What prompted him? Public conversations about the shooting were generally devoid of the kind of historical knowledge that frames contemporary racial violence and its deep roots. Twitter's helping.