History

Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic

Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic

Sahl diagnosed the disease of America in 1967 as “right-wing social democracy,” an ideology that is fine with war.

Nov 15, 2021 / Column / David Bromwich

The History of the United States as the History of Capitalism

The History of the United States as the History of Capitalism The History of the United States as the History of Capitalism

What gets lost when we view the American past as primarily a story about capitalism? 

Nov 1, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Steven Hahn

How Thousands of Black Farmers Were Forced Off Their Land

How Thousands of Black Farmers Were Forced Off Their Land How Thousands of Black Farmers Were Forced Off Their Land

Black people own just 2 percent of farmland in the United States. A decades-long history of loan denials at the USDA is a major reason why.

Nov 1, 2021 / Feature / Kali Holloway

The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis

The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis

The Uruguayan American novelist’s The President and the Frog asks us to consider: What does it mean to be a good political actor?

Oct 29, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer

The Short, Quixotic History of North Korean Internationalism

The Short, Quixotic History of North Korean Internationalism The Short, Quixotic History of North Korean Internationalism

Benjamin R. Young’s Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader explores how the country turned to isolationism after a failed influence campaign in the mid 20th century.

Oct 26, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Brian Ng

New York City’s State of Permanent Crisis

New York City’s State of Permanent Crisis New York City’s State of Permanent Crisis

How New Yorkers trying to ward off catastrophe paved the road to the privatized city.

Oct 14, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Nick Juravich

The Unsure State of Asian America

The Unsure State of Asian America The Unsure State of Asian America

A conversation with Jay Caspian Kang about how the term “Asian American” became “mostly meaningless.”

Oct 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rosemarie Ho

A September to Remember

A September to Remember A September to Remember

Embroidering recent history.

Oct 12, 2021 / OppArt / India Tresselt

US history: Civil War: Emancipation Proclamation

Did the Constitution Pave the Way to Emancipation? Did the Constitution Pave the Way to Emancipation?

In his new book, The Crooked Path to Abolition, James Oakes argues that the Constitution was an antislavery document.

Oct 6, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner

Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery

Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery

The historian and politician helped transform how several generations understood 18th- and 19th-century history.

Oct 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Gerald Horne

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