Live from the American Studies Association conference in Chicago, it’s my 299th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share widely, & enjoy, all!
Speaking of the ASA, Vaughn & I are here to lead a workshop on public scholarship, which will include this website in a prominent role, natch! All week on the blog I’ve reflected on public scholarly examples & goals, leading up to a special weekend post on our workshop.
& speaking of supporting public scholarship, a reminder that I’m no longer able to tag all the folks featured in my thread over on Bluesky, so I’m even more reliant on y’all sharing the thread as widely as you’re able. I really appreciate any & all shares, which make the work feel more meaningful. Thank you!
Articles:
First, a quick note: because of travel & grading & other stuff, my thread is a bit shorter than usual, especially here in the opening section (& also in the next one, Current Events). I’m sure I missed a ton of great articles from the week, so again, please add more below, & thanks in advance!
Thanks to Maya Cade for sharing Adria W. Walker’s Guardian article on filmmaker Charles Burnett’s restoration (working with Cade) of his groundbreaking 1983 film My Brother’s Wedding.
For his Pittsburgh City Paper column, David S. Rotenstein shared an LGBTQ+ History Month feature on the city’s Fruit Loop cruising ground.
A pair of great pieces for The History Workshop this week: Katherine Mackinnon on her radical history walking tours of Glasgow; & Adrita Mitra on care, curiosity, & colonial counter-archives through the lens of Congo’s preserved butterflies.
Likewise a pair of excellent essays for Public Books to share this week: Irus Braverman on utility markings & other urban laws written in spray paint; & Victoria West on takeaways & lessons from the centennial of the legendary artist Robert Rauschenberg.
Four new pieces this week from the awesome folks at NiCHE Canada: two for the series on “uncharismatic” species, including Erragab Eljanhaoui on the destroying locust of Africa & Elise Milburn on characterizing ants in 16th-century New Spain; Roddy MacInnes on his encounters with the works of early 20th century Finnish American photographer Nina Weiste; & the second post for the new Dwelling in Place series, Richard Fadok on birds’ tragic, telling collisions with picture windows.
& also four compelling Pittsburgh Review of Books essays to share in this section: Timothy Grieve-Carlson on Maxo Vanka’s Millvale Murals & the cultural value of ghost stories; Ryan Carroll on the reactionary feelings behind the narrative of the “reading crisis”; Danny Oppenheimer on how the most polarizing books on Goodreads aren’t actually polarizing; & Chammah Kaunda on being Black first & firstness without fetishes.
Open-access in the Women’s History Review is Rachel Collett & Krista Cowman’s article on women’s community activism, childcare, & radical self-education in 1970s Liverpool.
Thanks to SAGE GREY (Walter D. Greason) for sharing another open-access resource, Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America. & speaking of Walter, two fabulous pieces of his to share this week as well: his new Journal of Black Studies article on Black science, science fiction, & Afrofuturism from 1945 to 2022; & for his Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder column, how the state’s neighborhood defense efforts reached the world stage.
& three articles from Saturday Evening Post colleagues to share this week: for the Vintage Ads series, a fascinating glimpse into how beer companies navigated Prohibition; David Apatoff on George Lucas’ new museum of narrative art, featuring Norman Rockwell & much more; & Ken Budd on the many ways we can get back as much as we give if we volunteer with nonprofits.
Current Events:
Again, this section is a good bit shorter than usual this week, so please add more current events writing below!
Starting with Garrett Graff for his Doomsday Scenario newsletter on how three shootings from the week exemplify America’s entirely-ordinary extraordinary violence.
Over at Public Notice, Aaron Rupar & Thor Benson interviewed How Democracies Die author Steve Levitsky on our slide into “competitive authoritarianism.”
Here’s a gift link to Jamelle Bouie’s excellent-as-ever latest New York Times column, this one on the historical connections & contexts for Trump’s targeting of Rep. Ilhan Omar.
& here’s another NYT gift link, this one for Emily Badger’s article on the 1924 architectural proposal that the administration is wrongly claiming gives them the legal right to build Trump’s arch.
For the Pittsburgh Review of Books, Morgan Rich wrote about AI, education, & the risks of prioritizing convenience over rigor (or, I would add, thought).
& a trio of Liberal Currents articles to end this section: Nathan Goldwag on X, antisemitism, & how the native language of social media is slurs; Alan Elrod’s chapter from The Reconstruction Papers making the case for a new national service initiative to help rebuild democracy; & Adam Gurri’s latest Editor’s Notes, including the vital need to get out the vote.
Podcasts:
Starting with pop culture conversations as usual, including a Halloween special episode of Mike Jamison’s Pop Culture Basement podcast, featuring Mark Domeier on Swamp Thing & horror comics.
Over at Ross Lennon’s History on Film podcast, Melissa Beattie joined to discuss what we can learn from fictional countries in modern media.
For the Season 2 finale of their Cold War Cinema podcast, Jason Christian, Anthony Ballas, & Paul T. Klein were joined by Andrew Scahill to discuss John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate.
For episode 67 of the Sociologist’s Dojo Podcast, Emily Hamilton-Honey joined to talk about the Newsies franchise, child labor histories, & more.
While for the latest episode of the TV is Good podcast, Kathryn VanArendonk was joined by her Vulture colleague Roxana Hadadi to talk about The Lowdown, Gilmore Girls, & more.
Turning to American history conversations, episode 453 of Liz Covart’s Ben Franklin’s World podcast features Rachel Hope Cleves, Jen Manion, & John McCurdy on everyday LGBTQ+ experiences during the American Revolution.
The latest episode of Axelbank Reports History & Today features Richard M. Lim on his book Refusing a Crown: How George Washington Changed the World.
The new episode of the C19: America in the 19th Century podcast features Helen Hunt on Charles Brockden Brown’s Jane Talbot & how to talk about kink & why we should.
Over at their Pod Only Knows podcast, Kelly J. Baker & John Brooks were joined by Sarah Handley-Cousins to talk about Lily Dale & the history of American Spiritualism.
While for episode 118 of her Drafting the Past podcast, Kate Carpenter interviewed Shane White about his new book on Black Manhattan before the Civil War, doing American history from Australia, & more.
& two new episodes of Alycia Asai’s Civics & Coffee podcast this week: a conversation with Bobby J. Smith II about his new book Black Farm Boys: The Untold Story of the New Farmers of America; & the usual Saturday episode, this week focused on XXX.
Turning to more global history & culture conversations, the latest episode of Matt Gabriele’s American Medieval podcast is an October medieval news round-up with David M. Perry & Thomas Lecaque.
Over at Ian Sanders’ Cold War Conversations podcast, Johan Wennström joined to talk about Sweden’s secret underground resistance plan if the Soviets had invaded.
For his Shipwrecks & Sea Dogs podcast, Rich Napolitano told the story of the 1993 Baltic Sea sinking of the Polish ferry Jan Heweliusz.
The latest episode of the Norton Library Podcast is part two of the Wuthering Heights discussion, with editor Deborah Lutz returning to talk covers, favorite lines, & film adaptations.
While for Public Books’ Novel Dialogue podcast, Aarthi Vadde interviewed Dan Sinykin & Sarah Brouilette on the metaphor & reality of the “literary ecosystem.”
Three new episodes of the Black Studies Podcast this week: John Drabinksi interviewing Armond Towns from Williams College’s African Studies Department; Ashley Newby’s conversation with Britt Rusert of UMass’s Department of Afro-American Studies; & John with Maya Cunningham of American University’s School of Performing Arts.
& a pair of new episodes of Lauren Lassabe Shepherd’s American Campus podcast this week: Michael Stambolis-Ruhstorfer on the student protests in France; & Iván Chaar López & Erin McElroy on why the powers that be are afraid of American Studies.
Continuing with the current events conversations, the latest episode of the Infinite Women podcast features Kayla Branstetter on her book Don’t Be an Athena & her research on narrative medicine.
For his America: The Story of the USA podcast, Liam Heffernan was joined by To Stop a Tyrant author Ira Chaleff to discuss who owns democracy.
While Empowering Democracy Initiative founder Alex Hertel-Fernandez joined Micah Sifry’s This Old Democracy podcast to argue that winning elections isn’t enough to rebuild democracy.
& over at Corey Brettschneider & John Fugelsang’s The Oath & the Office podcast, Stanford Daily editor George Porteous joined to talk about student journalists standing up to Trump.
Two new episodes of Liberal Currents podcasts to share this week: editor Adam Gurri joining Samantha Hancox-Li’s Neon Liberalism podcast to talk about Ilhan Omar vs. regime politics; & Congressional candidate Mike DeCillis joining Gurri’s Out of the Jaws podcast to discuss his campaign & the diverse communities of Staten Island.
& likewise two new installments of Heather Cox Richardson’s American Conversations this week: with Arkansas Congressional candidate & rocket scientist Chris Jones; & with Michigan Senate candidate & epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed.
Books:
First, a trio of important recent publications that I missed: Andrew Pettegree’s The Bookshop: A History of Bookselling from the Dawn of Print to the Twenty-First Century from Basic Books; & two from the University of California Press, Andrew Coe’s American Bread: A History & Kevin Waite’s The Boundless Biddy Mason: An Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom Across the American West.
Out this week from Macmillan is Lindsay Fitzharris’ long-awaited Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes.
That’s one of three long-awaited releases this week, also including Miriam Posner’s Thinking Like a Supply Chain: The Hidden Life of Logistics from Yale University Press.
Likewise much-anticipated & out this week is Lauren F. Klein et al’s Data By Design: Visualization & Power from Abolition to the Dawn of Data Science from MIT Press.
& now available in e-book form is an important new edited collection, The Oxford Handbook of Intersectional Approaches to Migration, Gender, & Sexuality.
Forthcoming on Monday November 2nd from De Gruyter Brill is Rebecca Brückmann, Silke Hackenesch, & Charlotte A. Lerg’s edited collection Radical in the Ordinary: Women’s Activism in Everyday American Life.
For the Pittsburgh Review of Books, Michael Kobre & Peter Nagy shared an excerpt from their new book Origin Stories: Fans, Scholars, & the Superhero Comics That Shaped Their Identities.
While for Public Books, Peter Berard reviewed A.J.A. Woods’ The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West.
For the latest USIH book review, Peter S. Onuf wrote about John Garrison Marks’ Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery & the Fight for American Memory.
& for Drafting the Past’s new book reviews section, co-founder Megan Kate Nelson reviewed Nathaniel Philbrick’s The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, & the Making of the Modern World. Nelson also shared a helpful post for authors & scholars who find themselves stuck in their projects.
Made By History:
A trio of important new pieces for the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Made By History this week: Ben Urwand on the history, explosion, & effects of Early Decision college acceptance; Joseph M. Thompson on how the backlash against the (Dixie) Chicks still shapes country music today; & Marc Levinson on how the story of UPS’s rise reveals that regulations often have unintended consequences.
Newsletters and Blog Posts:
For his latest Democracy Americana newsletter, Thomas Zimmer argued for the importance of remembering that Trump is not some all-powerful god king.
Over at her History Teaches… newsletter, Felicia Kornbluh shared & contextualized her experiences at the most recent No Kings rally.
While for her Well, Actually… newsletter, Ashley Best made the case that Election Day should be a federal holiday.
Two new posts at Kevin M. Levin’s Civil War Memory newsletter to share: this one on the U.S. Army’s plans to return a Confederate memorial to Arlington National Cemetery; & this one responding to a Wall Street Journal letter to the editor engaging with his new book on Robert Gould Shaw.
For his Looking Through the Past newsletter, George Dillard wrote about Galveston in 1900, before one of the storms of the century.
While for her Imperfect Union newsletter, Lindsay M. Chervinsky traced what Theodore Roosevelt can teach us about reform in 2026.
The latest installment of Sarah E. Bond’s Pasts Imperfect newsletter features Young Kim on public history & his contributions to a History Channel series on Attila the Hun.
Over at his Liberating Narratives blog, Bram Hubbell visualized the global popularity of Chinese porcelain in the First Global Economy.
While for his latest Research & Reflections Academic Bubble newsletter, Dion Georgiou contextualized Piddington’s independence referendum in longstanding political traditions.
Continuing with those kinds of scholarly reflections, for his blog Will Pooley wrote about the concept of the “normal exception” in debates over historical method.
While for her Love Notes newsletter, Jenn M. Jackson shared bracing & important thoughts on Jason Arday, academia, & the vengefulness of white mediocrity.
Gonna conclude with a bunch of great cultural studies pieces as usual, starting with Howard Burton for his Exploring Art History newsletter on the revealing example of French stained glass artist Guillaume de Marcillat.
Over at her Strange & Wondrous newsletter, Surekha Davies shared a gift link to her Foreign Policy article on a fascinating Irish historical novel.
For The Vault of Culture, Shawn Gilmore shared a fascinating piece on The Boys & the politics of adapting politics in the age(s) of Trump.
While for the Pittsburgh Review of Books Kayla Aletha Welch wrote about the cultural resurgence of yearning men & the rejection of edgelords.
& over at the New York Almanack blog, ADK Taste traced the Adirondacks locations of the James Bond novel The Spy Who Loved Me.
For Bright Wall/Dark Room’s ongoing Midlife Crisis issue, Sarah Welch-Larson wrote about Michael Mann’s Heat.
Over at Ebert Voices, Carla Renata interviewed John Turturro about his acclaimed new film The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.
While for her ongoing Review Roulette Spooky Season series, Vaughn Joy shared a delightful disciplinary approach to The Monster Squad.
Finally, thanks to Alan Govenar’s team for sharing this Playbill announcement of the upcoming revival of his musical Texas in Paris, which will reunite the Hadestown co-stars Lillias White & Reeve Carney.
PS. I’m sure I missed plenty as ever, including in the Articles & Current Events sections as I mentioned. So please share more writing for those, as well as podcasts, new & forthcoming books, & newsletters & blog posts, below. Thanks, & happy reading, listening, & learning, all!
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