Historians in the News

Goin' Back to T-Town

PBS's American Experience is offering online viewing of its 1993 documentary on the Greenwood district of Tulsa and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. 

In Fury We Trust (Review of Sarah Shulman)

Sarah Shulman's book seeks to recover the histories of AIDS activists beyond white gay men, using two decades of oral history work to show the breadth of a coalition including women, lesbians, people of color, drug users, and the incarcerated, who all experienced the stakes of AIDS differently. 

'The Underground Railroad' and History: Eric Foner

Eric Foner discusses the historical background of the new series based on Colson Whitehead's novel. 

Black Politics After George Floyd

Protests over the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans by police have exposed a rift in Black politics, with an establishment group seeking to control the moral authority of the Civil Rights movement by stripping it of its historical commitment to disruption. 

Plessy v. Ferguson at 125

Harvard Law School Professor Kenneth Mack explains what the shameful decision meant, and why it still matters in 2021.

The White Men Who Wanted to Be Victims: Joe Darda's "How White Men Won the Culture Wars"

by Chris Lehmann

Joe Darda argues that the convergence of three cultural trends – the turn of the Vietnam veterans' movement away from antiwar politics and toward treating trauma, white ethnic identity politics, and the backlash to civil rights and feminism – birthed a potent strain of white male grievance politics in the 1970s that endures today.

Reclaiming the Power of Rebellion

Activist Derecka Purnell interviews Elizabeth Hinton about her new book "America on Fire" and the need to think about urban unrest in political, not criminal or psychological, terms. 

The Long Farewell to Majority Rule? (w/ Joshua Tait)

Matt and Sam talk to historian Joshua Tait about the intellectual origins of conservatives'—and the modern GOP's—hostility to majoritarian democracy.

Five Things Missing From Asian American History In Texas Schools

KERA spoke to educators including historian Madeline Hsu about what Texas students are missing out on when it comes to Asian American history. They said the lack of diversity, notable figures and modern-day connection are some of the key issues.

Interview with Philip Shenon: Lessons from the Uncensored History of the 9/11 Commission

Philip Shenon, author of "The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation" says that historian Philip Zelikow exerted great influence over the commission's work, but his talent for documentary investigation was blunted by his closeness to the Bush administration. This is a lesson any 1/6 Commission should heed.

"The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History"

Historian Karlos K. Hill discusses his new book, a compilation of photographs of the Greenwood section of Tulsa before, during, and after the 1921 racist pogrom against the "Black Wall Street." 

Should Native Americans Control National Parks? Examining an Argument for Reparations

David Treuer joins the PBS News Hour to discuss his recent argument that the US government should return control of National Parks lands to tribal authorities.

Opinion: American Democracy is in Even Worse Shape than You Think

by Perry Bacon Jr.

Historian Thomas Zimmer cautions that the Republican Party is prepared to use gerrymandered state legislatures and the antidemocratic instituitons of the Senate and the courts to defy majority rule. 

The Next Battle of the Alamo! (Excerpt)

A new book takes on Texans' embrace of the Alamo myth and the politics of preserving the site, with an odd detour through the Alamo memorabilia collection of British pop star Phil Collins. 

Imperialism: A Syllabus

by Radhika Natarajan and John Munro

Two historians present a public syllabus on imperialism that emphasizes the historical origins of contemporary struggles and the ways that ideas of difference are essential to the imperial work of control and exploitation. 

Tracing the African Diaspora in Food

Jessica B. Harris's book "High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America" traces the African diaspora through food cultures. It will debut as a Netflix series next week. 

How the Shocking Use of Gas in World War I Led Nations to Ban It

"In 1925, the League of Nations adopted the Geneva Protocol, which prohibited the use of chemical and biological agents in war, but did not stop nations from continuing to develop and stockpile such weapons."

Nicole Hemmer on the GOP's Shrinking Tent

Historian of conservatism Nicole Hemmer joins Ezra Klein's podcast to discuss precedent for the Republican Party's tilt toward extremism. 

Recasting the ‘Riots’ of the 1960s as Rebellions by Blacks Under Siege

by Peniel E. Joseph

Peniel Joseph reviews Elizabeth Hinton's new book "America On Fire" and says it "reconceptualizes the Black freedom struggle between the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Lives Matter 2.0 demonstrations that galvanized the nation, and much of the world, in 2020."

Before the Civil War, America Was a ‘House Divided’ in More Ways Than One

Alan Taylor's book on the political conflicts of the early republic innovates by taking a continental view of political changes in Canada and Mexico, where conflicts over slavery and economic development became truly pan-American phenomena.