History

“Untitled (Strike),” Dox Thrash, c. 1940.

The Radical Art of the Depression Years The Radical Art of the Depression Years

By working within the constraints of the WPA, artists like Philip Guston discovered new modes of representation and irony.

Nov 27, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Rachel Hunter Himes

FDR, Thanksgiving 1933.

FDR Taught Us How to Talk Politics on Thanksgiving FDR Taught Us How to Talk Politics on Thanksgiving

The 32nd president used his holiday proclamations to call for “the establishment on earth of freedom, brotherhood, and justice.”

Nov 23, 2023 / John Nichols

A photo of a group of people gathered, from behind, looking up at a bare tree and a statue.

Should America Keep Celebrating Thanksgiving? Should America Keep Celebrating Thanksgiving?

Sean Sherman argues that we need to decolonize Thanksgiving, while Chase Iron Eyes calls for replacing Thanksgiving with a “Truthsgiving.”

Nov 20, 2023 / The Debate / Sean Sherman and Chase Iron Eyes

Headshots of Sa'ed Atshan and Katharina Galor

The Moral Triangle: Palestine, Israel, and Germany The Moral Triangle: Palestine, Israel, and Germany

A conversation about “peace and justice and freedom for all Palestinians and Israelis” with Sa’ed Atshan and Katharina Galor.

Nov 16, 2023 / Q&A / Linda Mannheim

A scene from the film “Orphans of the Storm” depicting a group carrying a sign bearing the slogan “Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité,” 1921.

The History of Equality: It’s Complicated The History of Equality: It’s Complicated

A conversation with the historian Darrin McMahon about his new book Equality: The History of an Elusive Idea and the strange and contradicting development of the liberal version o...

Nov 16, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Santiago, Chile, June 1973.

How Pinochet’s Chile Became a Laboratory for Neoliberalism How Pinochet’s Chile Became a Laboratory for Neoliberalism

A new book examines how a group of University of Chicago–trained economists sought to remake the Chilean economy in the aftermath of 1973.

Nov 14, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vincent Bevins

Donald Trump, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Vince McMhaon at a press conference before Wrestlemania 23, 2007.

The Misunderstood History of American Wrestling The Misunderstood History of American Wrestling

A recent biography of WWE executive Vince McMahon presents him as an entertainment tycoon who changed culture and politics. The real story of his rise is as banal as it is brutal....

Nov 10, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nadine Smith

Coenties Slip in New York, 1850–1900.

How the New York Waterfront Shaped American Modernism How the New York Waterfront Shaped American Modernism

In The Slip, Prudence Peiffer looks at the role an overlooked neighborhood played in the lives and work of an eclectic set of postwar artists.

Nov 6, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tausif Noor

Barricade fight in Berlin, March 1848.

The Year Europe Revolted The Year Europe Revolted

A new history by Christopher Clark on the 1848 revolutions.

Oct 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell

The Origins of Race Reductionism

The Origins of Race Reductionism The Origins of Race Reductionism

Today’s conversation around inequality traces back to the compromises made in the late civil rights movement.

Oct 31, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

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