History

WWII’s Refugee Academics and the Myth of a Welcoming American Academy

WWII’s Refugee Academics and the Myth of a Welcoming American Academy WWII’s Refugee Academics and the Myth of a Welcoming American Academy

Laurel Leff’s Well Worth Saving looks at the lives of Jewish professors who sought asylum in the United States and were denied entry.

Feb 26, 2020 / Hannah Stamler

Donald Trump

Trump Has Lifted the Mask From Our Empty Political Traditions Trump Has Lifted the Mask From Our Empty Political Traditions

His naked callousness has shown plainly that these rituals sometimes reveal the nonsense they’re meant to cover up.

Feb 25, 2020 / Andrew J. Bacevich

The Making of France’s Presidential System

The Making of France’s Presidential System The Making of France’s Presidential System

Focusing on the tensions between top-down reforms and bottom-up democratic discontent, Herrick Chapman’s new history tells a very different story about postwar France.

Feb 18, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Hugo Drochon

Ricardo Piglia’s Books of Disquiet

Ricardo Piglia’s Books of Disquiet Ricardo Piglia’s Books of Disquiet

As he witnessed the dissolution of civil society under a series of repressive governments, the Argentine novelist and critic began recording the most mundane parts of everyday life...

Feb 17, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jessica Loudis

Trump Oval Office address

The Modern GOP Is Built on Lies The Modern GOP Is Built on Lies

In some ways Trump is more truthful than previous Republican presidents.

Feb 14, 2020 / Column / Eric Alterman

The Vexed History of Zionism and the Left

The Vexed History of Zionism and the Left The Vexed History of Zionism and the Left

A new book asks why the left fell out of love with Zionism, but what it reveals is why liberal Zionists fell out of love with the left.

Feb 10, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Joshua Leifer

The  First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave

The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave

Who fought for queer freedom a century before Stonewall.

Jan 31, 2020 / Feature / Channing Gerard Joseph

Is Impeachment Only About Getting a Conviction?

Is Impeachment Only About Getting a Conviction? Is Impeachment Only About Getting a Conviction?

A new history of Andrew Johnson’s trial reminds us the impeachment is not only a tool to constrain executive abuse of power, but also a way to publicize dissent on matters of polic...

Jan 30, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Stephanie McCurry

Does Liberalism Have Its Roots in the Illiberal Upheavals of the English Reformation?

Does Liberalism Have Its Roots in the Illiberal Upheavals of the English Reformation? Does Liberalism Have Its Roots in the Illiberal Upheavals of the English Reformation?

A recent book argues that liberalism has an “unexpected debt” to evangelical religion.

Jan 28, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Keith Thomas

Slavery, and American Racism, Were Born in Genocide

Slavery, and American Racism, Were Born in Genocide Slavery, and American Racism, Were Born in Genocide

Martin Luther King Jr. saw something essential about our nation: Imperial expansion west over stolen Indian land shaped and deepened the American Revolution’s relationship to slave...

Jan 20, 2020 / Greg Grandin

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