History

A Tale of Two Plagues

A Tale of Two Plagues A Tale of Two Plagues

Tips on self-isolation from Daniel Defoe and Giovanni Boccaccio

Mar 20, 2020 / Column / Katha Pollitt

The Long Roots of Corporate Irresponsibility

The Long Roots of Corporate Irresponsibility The Long Roots of Corporate Irresponsibility

Nicholas Lemann’s history of 20th century corporations, Transaction Man, shows how an unrelenting faith in the market and profit doomed the American economy.

Mar 17, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein

The Protests That Made and Unmade Japan’s Postwar Left

The Protests That Made and Unmade Japan’s Postwar Left The Protests That Made and Unmade Japan’s Postwar Left

The demonstrations against the Anpo treaty remain the largest protest movement in Japanese history and yet their defeat cleared the path for decades of conservative rule.

Mar 3, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Colin Jones

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

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