Traveling back to Massachusetts tomorrow, so once again y’all get #ScholarSunday on a Saturday! Here’s my 289th thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all!
Speaking of it being a unique weekend: today is your humble compiler’s 49th birthday! Alongside time with my Mom, sons, amazing wife Vaughn Joy, & childhood best friend, & a cake from Vaughn, I’m excited to share some of the day with you all, my friends!
Articles:
Starting with a very special installment of my Saturday Evening Post Considering History column, a birthday week tribute to influential & inspiring figures (past & present) from my hometown of Charlottesville!
As I mentioned in that column, this week was also my late father’s birthday, & so I really loved Dilek Sayedahmed’s Montréal Serai tribute to her father’s love of the city, an essay on how sidewalks are always political.
In honor of the week’s third-most-singular event, the solar eclipse, Rhi Smith wrote for the University of Reading’s Special Collections about a chance meeting between Wilfrid Owen & Mabel Rayner during an April 1912 such heavenly event.
In a similarly astronomical vein, for his Inverting Vision site Danny Robb told the fascinating 1960s story of Kodak’s “pre-invented” Lunar Orbiter Camera.
For Ravenous, Jaya Saxena shared a delightful tribute to Deb Perelman on the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking Smitten Kitchen.
Speaking of food & writing, check out Rainesford Stauffer in Slate (that’s a gift link) on the history & welcome return of Pizza Hut’s Book It! summer reading program.
If you’re thinking of putting down that book you’ve started, first read Emma Adler for Public Books on how every novel is boring until it isn’t.
Two excellent pieces for the History Workshop to share this week: Lucy Jameson on technological collaboration & disabled expertise in Britain’s General Post Office; & Annika Bärwald with a companion piece to her article on turn of the 19th century Hamburg & port cities as borderlands.
Over at NiCHE Canada, their series on ecocritical perspectives on indigenous literature continued with Alice Salion on Okanagan epistemology in the works of Jeannette Armstrong.
For Forward, Benyamin Cohen told the complex & deeply American story of the origins of & ongoing battle over a Charlotte monument to Jewish Confederate Judah Benjamin.
This week’s Longreads is a particularly great one, an excerpt from Sam Roberts’ book Are They Dead Yet?: The Art of the Obit.
Two excellent new modules for the AHA’s pedagogical resources this week: Durba Mitra on women challenging patriarchal authoritarianism in the 1983 Pakistan; & Hidetaka Hirota on Japanese American incarceration & making citizens internal enemies in 1942 USA.
& speaking of resources, thanks to the Children’s History Society for sharing Haohao Zhang’s working bibliography of the history of childhood, to which we can all keep contributing!
Three open-access academic publications to share this week, including Rosalind Edden for Midland History on the work of Gloucester’s nurses during the 1896 smallpox epidemic.
Cambridge University Press has shared an open-access version of Jay R. Roszman’s Journal of British Studies article on the foundation of the Queen’s Colleges & British imperial service from 1845-85.
& one of the best reads of the week was Felicity James in New Writing with an essayist’s response to the university policy on GenAI in teaching, learning, & assessment.
Along with my birthday week column above, three other pieces from Saturday Evening Post colleagues to share this week: Joshua Sharpe on the lonely experiences of the family members of incarcerated people; Jeff Nilsson on the Supreme Court decisions that led to 2010’s controversial Citizens United ruling; & Bill Newcott with a wonderful travelogue of his recent trip through Central Virginia (where I’ve also spent this birthday week!).
Current Events:
Turning to current events writing from the week, three more pieces in History of the Present’s Critical Noise’s symposium on the frustrating & destructive “Report on the Humanities”: Julia Schleck on how the report’s authors betrayed their colleagues; Roderick A. Ferguson on how philosophy helps us understand the report’s deepest tragedies; & Kerry Mitchell on how the report reveals a crisis of reading—not from students, but from the report’s authors.
Turning to other current events, Dara Lind in The New Yorker is a must-read as ever, this week on the sweeping away of protections that have granted millions of immigrants safe lives in the US.
For the horrific results of such policies, see Jose Pagliery in NOTUS on the ongoing struggles of Rogelio Bolufé, a Cuban national kidnapped to a cartel city in Ecuador.
For parallel horrors in the US, Peter Holley wrote for Texas Monthly on how Trump’s border wall construction is set to bulldoze the historic site of the Porvenir massacre.
For an inspiring response to such administration destructions, here’s Amy Qin (with graphics from Flávio Pessoa) in The Guardian on the amateur archivists working to save US history in our National Parks.
Turning to other current events, Obasanjo Joseph Oyedele wrote for NiCHE Canada’s series on the resource curse about how the Bay du Nord oil project fails the climate crisis test.
For Mother Jones, Anna Merlan profiled Paulina Borsook, whose prescient 2000 book Cyberselfish ruined her life but is even more vital 26 years later.
Over at MSNOW, Miranda Yaver argued that AOC sharing her egg freezing journey should be a call to action for fertility care access.
Bracing & beautiful Chicago Tribune essay from Julia Poe on who & where our transgender athletes really are.
Tressie McMillam Cottom’s latest New York Times op ed (that’s a gift link) makes a compelling case that Democratic Socialists are winning because they’re listening to people.
For an inspiring example of the people’s voices, check out Austin C. McCoy for Truthout on the growing pushback to the intertwining threats of ICE & data centers.
For another way that we can push back on the worst of our moment, thanks to the Brennan Center for filing a historians’ amicus brief in AAUP v. Rubio (featuring contributions from Julia Rose Kraut & others).
& I’ll end this section with a number of excellent Liberal Currents pieces as usual: Jessica Pishko on the “constitutional sheriffs” movement arriving in DC; Kiran Pfitzner on what Clausewitz would say about our need to challenge the rogue Supreme Court; Adam Gurri on how Trump’s mass deportation campaign will produce more atrocities than the Argentinian military junta did; & Christopher Whitaker making a compelling case for resurrecting the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.
Podcasts:
Starting with a ton of cultural studies conversations from the week, including Alan Sepinwall & Kathryn VanArendonk’s latest TV is Good episode, contextualizing the strange return of Ted Lasso with Aaron Sorkin’s groundbreaking Sports Night.
The latest episode of Holley Snaith’s Say It With History podcast features Anthony Uzarowski on the making of Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall.
For the new episode of her Silver Screen Sleuths podcast, Emily J. Edwards was joined by Keith Roysdon to talk all things Rear Window.
The latest installment of Pop Culture Basement’s Sleaze Bag Cinema features Mike & Andrew discussing Steve Martin’s The Jerk.
Over at Bright Wall/Dark Room’s podcast, hosts Chad Perman & Elizabeth Cantwell were joined by Elizabeth’s husband Chris Cantwell to discuss The Hunt for Red October.
& I was excited to join Dan LeFebvre’s Based on a True Story podcast to talk about the wonderful 1976 film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.
That was one of two podcast appearances I made this week, as I also joined Rich Napolitano on his Shipwrecks & Sea Dogs podcast to talk about Stephen Crane’s powerful short story “The Open Boat.”
Turning to more historical subjects, the latest episode of Jerry Landry’s Presidencies of the United States podcast features Tony Williams on changing interpretations of the Declaration of Independence.
For the How Our Constitution Works … And Why It Doesn’t podcast, Melissa Murray joined to discuss her new book The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive & Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader.
The latest episode of Jason Lee Guthrie’s Stephen Foster at 200 podcast features Candace Bailey on Foster’s songs & women’s music practices.
Over at their War of the Rebellion podcast, Niels Eichhorn & Andrew Houck interviewed Robert D. Bland about his book Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory & the Legacy of the Lowcountry’s Lost Political Generation.
Two new episodes of Alycia Asai’s Civics & Coffee podcast this week: an interview with Amy Nathan about her book on Sarah Keys Evans, “the Army’s Rosa Parks”; & a follow-up to last week’s Chester Arthur episode, this time focused on his late wife & his sister.
The latest episode of Kelly Therese Pollock’s Unsung History podcast features Terrence J. McDonald on Jane Addams’ Hull House in its neighborhood contexts.
While for the American Prestige podcast, hosts Danny & Derek interviewed Molly Crabapple about her book on the history of the Jewish Bund.
& the new episode of James Crossland’s History’s Devils podcast is part two of a series on Charles Manson, this time focused on the Manson Family Murders.
The latest episode of Matt Gabriele’s American Medieval podcast features Esther Liberman Cuenca on the hidden histories of medieval tattoos.
While for the A Slice of Medieval podcast, hosts Sharon Bennett Connolly & Derek Birks were joined by Steven Veerapen to talk all things Henry VIII.
Episode 108 of Kate Carpenter’s relaunched and rebranded Drafting the Past podcast (now in partnership with the awesome Megan Kate Nelson) features Amy Stanley on her book on early modern Japan & much more.
For the new episode of the Black Studies Podcast, John Drabinski interviewed Wendy M. Thompson from San Jose State University’s Department of African American Studies.
For their Who Makes Cents? A History of Capitalism podcast, Jessica Levy & Dylan Gottlieb were joined by Danielle Wiggins to discuss her book on Black excellence & the making of modern liberalism.
Continuing with current events conversations, Joshua R. Eyler joined Lauren Lassabe Shepherd’s American Campus podcast to discuss the history & current state of college grading.
The latest episode of the Scholars Strategy Network’s No Jargon podcast features Carolette Norwood on the politics of reproduction & race.
Episode 3 of Money on the Left’s In the Loop: Revolutionizing Public Finance podcast features Washington State Senator Bob Hasegawa on the fight for public banking.
Over at the Fighting Fascism podcast, Bret Devereaux joined to discuss how & why far-right billionaires get Tolkien so wrong.
For his SMOTUS Report, Seth Masket interviewed Julia Azari about how the next Trump impeachment should proceed.
& the latest episode of John Fugelsang & Corey Brettschneider’s The Oath & the Office podcast focuses on Trump’s latest Supreme Court fight & much more.
Lots of great new short videos for Heather Cox Richardson’s 250 to 250 this week, including Latham Nez on Native American Code Talkers, Laura Freedman Pedrick on Washington’s letter to Newport’s Hebrew Congregation, Josh Cowen on the Morrill Act, & more.
I’ll end this section with two especially delightful convos, including the latest episode of Tucker Legerski’s Book Stuff podcast for the Chicago Review of Books, featuring Wanderlust Bookstore co-owners Allison Couture & Marie Nitschke.
& make sure to check out Brian Glavey’s new Some Marvelous Experience podcast, including its first episode featuring David B. Hobbs & Josh Schneiderman on 1970s monumental earthworks.
Books:
A number of important scholarly books were published this week, including Catherine S. Chan’s Savage: The Making of Modern Dogs in British Hong Kong from Cornell University Press.
Also out from Columbia University Press is Xavier Aldana Reyes’ Body Horror: Biology, Biopower, & Biotechnology.
Two new releases from UNC Press this week: Richard Schweid’s Life on the Octopus Farm: The Ethics & Future of Growing the World’s Most Intelligent Invertebrate; & James S. Finley’s Abolition & the Rise of US Environmentalism: The Literature & Politics of Free Soil.
Out this week in the UK is Ross Brooks’ Darwin & the Queer Origins of Life: A History of Sex & Science, which he blogged about at the Yale Books site.
Likewise out in the UK & open-access everywhere from Liverpool University Press is Ole Birk Laursen’s The Indian Revolutionary Movement in Europe, 1905-1918, which he excerpted for The Indian Express.
& out in a revised & expanded 2nd edition is Jan Machielsen’s edited collection The Science of Demons: Early Modern Authors Facing Witchcraft & the Devil from Routledge.
Out this Tuesday (8/18) from Harvard University Press is Emile Chabal’s The Age of Hobsbawm: The Life of a Revolutionary Historian.
While forthcoming in September from Manchester University Press is Taj Ali’s Come What May: We’re Here to Stay: The Story of South Asian Resistance in Britain.
For Commonplace journal, Karin Wulf interviewed Anna O. Law about the multiple lessons we can learn from the histories she traces in her book Migration & the Origins of American Citizenship.
This week Public Books featured interviews with two authors of new books: Sharon Marcus interviewing Cassandra Neyenesch on her novel A Little Bit Bad; & Sylvia Brownrigg interviewing Jessica Francis Kane about her historical novel on the late Penelope Fitzgerald. & also at Public Books, Sam Carter reviewed Cautery, Mauren Shaughnessy’s new translation of Lucía Lijtmaer’s Cauterio.
For the latest USIH book review, Andrew Hartman reviewed Steven Hahn’s Illiberal America: A History.
While for Your Impossible Voice, Kelsey Squire reviewed Nina Schuyler’s Open the Floodgates.
& for her 117th Maris Review, Maris Kreizman wrote about Paul Yoon’s Etna & Imogen Willetts’ Up All Night: A World History of Nightlife.
Made By History:
Two new pieces for the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Made By History this week: Abe Silberstein on the 50-year rise of Democratic Socialism in the US; & Sarah Nooter on how the women of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey may be truer to history than Homer’s.
Newsletters and Blog Posts:
Gonna end with a ton of great newsletters & blog posts as usual, including the return from a six-year hiatus of Scott B. Weingart’s excellent blog, with posts on his new project on 17th century translator Thomas Creech & more.
Over at his All That’s Worth Saving newsletter, Patrick Galey wrote movingly about what we do—individually & collectively—when things fall apart.
For a frustrating example of that trend, check out John Garrison Marks at his newsletter on how America’s museums are falling apart.
Marks’ work has been central to 250th anniversary commemorations around the country, & this week Donald Earl Collins wrote for his Fool’s Gold newsletter about his memories of the nation’s 200th.
For her Apocalyptic Optimist site, Dana R. Fisher offered contexts for the rise of Democratic Socialist candidates & victories.
Over at his newsletter, Michael Phillips shared the 6th & final installment in his series on the debates over Confederate monuments in Dallas.
Four favorites from these threads featured a pair of great pieces each this week, including Karen L. Cox’s America & the Lost Cause, where she wrote about both the long history of debates over Confederate names & mascots and how a North Carolina Confederate monument reveals one of the most insidious things about such memorials.
Over at his Civil War Memory newsletter, Kevin M. Levin both traced the strange career of the late actor & politician Ben Cooter and highlighted how two historians helped overturn a school board’s decision in Virginia.
Two new posts from Ashley Best for her Well, Actually … newsletter this week, including this one on myths & realities of vaccines and this one on pop culture, gun culture, & America’s generalized anxiety.
& two excellent posts from Pamela D. Toler for her History in the Margins blog, including this one on mid-20C New York portrait photographer Berenice Abbott & this one on Frances “Fanny” Palmer, the Norman Rockwell of the 19C.
Over at his The Way of Improvement Leads Home blog, John Fea used a recent Thomas Frank essay to argue for the importance of challenging nostalgia in all its forms.
While for his The Lint Trap of History newsletter, Michael J. Socolow shared the fascinating radio broadcast of an American gold medal crew victory at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The latest installment of Sarah E. Bond’s Pasts Imperfect newsletter features Jermaine Bryant on Zora Neale Hurston’s posthumously published The Life of Herod the Great.
For his Liberating Narratives blog, Bram Hubbell used cotton in late imperial Russia & Soviet Central Asia to discuss teaching colonialism.
Speaking of global struggles, for his Looking Through the Past newsletter George Dillard traced five centuries of conflicts over the Strait of Hormuz.
Over at her Love Notes newsletter, Jenn M. Jackson reflected on two decades as a Black woman public intellectual.
While at his blog, the Secretary of Defense Rock shared another research update for his project on WWII aviation, this time highlighting what he’s learning from the legendary Samuel Eliot Morison.
Gonna conclude with great cultural studies pieces as ever, starting with a recent one I missed, Sean Guynes blogging about James Gurney’s second Dinotopia novel.
For her Well-Read Herring newsletter, Emily Herring used two novels to explore perfume, butter, & the philosophy of taste & smell.
For their African Skies site, Foluke Adebisi used a Turkish soap-saga to discuss how loving the homeland often involves making barbarians.
Over at his Everything is Horrible newsletter, Noah Berlatsky argued that “rock music” has always been (inaccurately) defined by whiteness.
I really enjoyed Judy Berman’s work for Time magazine highlighting the 50 most underappreciated TV shows of the 21st century (to date).
Thoughtful & important Reactor magazine essay from Flint del Sol on how Christopher Nolan is making a point about trans people in The Odyssey.
As usual, I can’t share an Odyssey take without highlighting Vaughn Joy’s wonderful Review Roulette piece on the film. & this week on Review Roulette, Vaughn shared her first-ever Guest Post, Alexander Ludwig on the familiar musical motif that has us hearing death at the movies.
Finally, for his Academic Bubble newsletter Dion Georgiou used a disagreement between authors Yasmin Alibhai-Brown & Manzoor Moghal to illustrate the stakes in narrating the Ugandan Asian experience.
& if you can’t get enough public scholarly goodness (me neither!), check out the 64th installment of Dion’s Stop, Look, & Listen newsletter of great recent work.
PS. I’m sure both Dion & I missed plenty as always, so please share more writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books below. Thanks, & enjoy all the great work in my birthday present for you all (Bilbo Baggins would approve)!
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