Historians in the News

Ken Burns new series on The Roosevelts to debut on PBS in the Fall

"I think it's the best thing Ken's done since 'The Civil War.' "

Women’s History, Active History, and the 2014 Berkshire Conference

It is the first time that this venerable and highly visible conference has met outside of the United States.

Historian backs the use of video games in the classroom

by Nicolas Trépanier

Yes, "historical" video games are filled with inaccuracies. But ...

Historians’ dispute in Germany over a bestseller that claims Europe shares the blame for WW 1

"The Sleepwalkers" has lobbed a grenade into the debate and younger German historians have applauded Clark’s portrayal of a pan-European crisis with shared guilt.

Harvard historian runs for parliament in India

Mr. Bose began his campaign by dozens of meetings with party workers, where his aim was to dispel the notion that he was, as he put it, “an academic living in an ivory tower.”

Biographer of Gandhi unearths new evidence that shows he was shaped by experience in South Africa

‘Gandhi Before India’ Shows How the Mahatma Was Made

Art Historian Says “Ideological Censorship Is Happening” in Russia

 “A month ago, or even one week ago, I wouldn’t have told you what I’ll say to you now.”

Fired Russian Historian Says East Ukraine Referendums 'Make No Sense'

Prominent Russian historian Andrei Zubov has dismissed the self-rule referendums in eastern Ukraine.

Citing University’s Commitment to Free Speech, Faust Says ‘Abhorrent’ Black Mass Will Not Be Barred

“The decision by a student club to sponsor an enactment of this ritual is abhorrent."--Drew Gilpin Faust

Sir James Holt, Historian Known for his Studies of the Magna Carta, Dies at 91

Sir James Holt was a medieval historian who argued that the Magna Carta was, in its time, neither unique nor successful.

New book, new allegations of plagiarism

Since the book’s publication, a blog called the Cabinet of Plagiarism has detailed numerous alleged instances of plagiarism in the book, including text and ideas taken from information websites and published scholarship.

Historian's spouse barred from teaching after newspaper runs a story about his past ... as a Symbionese Liberation Army bank robber

After his sentence, he returned to his wife, Teresa Barnes, who by then had become an associate professor of history at Urbana-Champaign.

Nixon Library leaderless after Nixon Foundation objects to NARA's candidate

The position has been vacant since the departure of Tim Naftali, the library’s first and only federal director.

Austrian historians studying another informed consent debacle from the 50s

The latest comes from Vienna, Austria, where researchers deliberately infected hospitalised children with malaria in the hope of finding a cure for syphilis.

A Eulogy for Martin J. Sklar 1935-2014: Historian, Patriot and Socialist

by Ron Radosh

Marty Sklar believed in America and its promise. We need more socialists like him.

Diane Ravitch defends Louis C.K.'s attack on Common Core

by Diane Ravitch

It started with a tweet. 

Boston College History Department distances itself from the Belfast oral history project

Press reports have been inaccurate. 

Skeptic of Wikipedia turns into a fan (more or less)

by Stephen W. Campbell

" I was a strident Wikipedia critic, having become frustrated by too many Wikipedia-derived answers on student exams. But ... I have grown more optimistic."

Oral History Association response to developments in Boston College case

"The concern has been raised that the Belfast Project developments will have a chilling effect on academic freedom and research. This need not be the case."

Canada's Ian Mosby tells how he became an "Accidental Public Historian"

by Ian Mosby

Most Canadian historians aren’t used to the public paying much attention to our research, particularly our articles. But it seems that the recent rise of a vibrant community of historians on social media may have changed things.