Links to Recent Articles of Interest
By Alfred McCoy, TomDispatch.com, posted October 26
Details the Trump Republicans' post-election maneuverings with comparisons to coups and attempted coups in recent decades in the Philippines, France, and elsewhere. The author teaches history at the University of Wisconsin and his latest book (due in November from Dispatch Books) is To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change.
By Lawrence Wittner, History News Network, posted October 24
The author is a professor emeritus of history at SUNY Albany and has written widely on US military policies and on peace movements.
By Alan J. Singer, Daily Kos, posted October 20
A critique of the new state law prescribing what students should learn about US history in Texas schools. The author is a historian and director of social studies education at Hofstra University.
By Andrew J. Bacevich, The American Conservative, posted October 19
The author is a retired US Army colonel and professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.
By Thomas Lecaque and J. L. Tomlin, The Bulwark, posted October 18
“What today's far right looks for in the legacy of the American Revolution.” Thomas Lecaque and J. L. Tomlin teach history at Grand View University and the University of North Texas, respectively.
By Paul Lashmar, Nicholas Gilby, and James Oliver, The Guardian, posted October 17
Based on newly declassified documents, this article depicts the role of British government agencies in inciting the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of Indonesian leftists in 1965-66. The authors' credentials include Nicholas Gilby's expose of corruption in Britains arms deals and James Oliver's leadership in the BBC's recent Pandora Papers investigation.
By Howard W. French, The Guardian, posted October 12
The author is a career foreign correspondent with much experience in Africa and the Caribbean and, since 2008 ,a professor of journalism at Columbia University. This article is excerpted from his new book Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War (W.W. Norton, October 2021).
By Cynthia Prescott, Washington Post, posted October 11
The author teaches history at the University of North Dakota and is the author of Pioneer Mother Monuments: Constructing Cultural Memory (U. of Oklahoma Press, 2020).
By Erik B. Alexander and Rachel Shelden, Washington Post, posted October 8
On the history of the Electoral Count Act of 1877, which is “the story of the same issues we confront today: racism, voter suppression and constitutional dysfunction.” The authors teach history at Southern Illinois University and Pennsylvania State University, respectively.
By Alan J. Singer, Daily Kos, posted October 6
A very clearly written introduction to the subject and its relation to the teaching of history. The author is a historian and director of social studies education at Hofstra University.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg and an anonymous reader for suggesting articles included in the above list, and to Steve Gosch for valuable consulting. Suggestions for these occasional lists can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.