H-PAD is very excited to announce a series of short videos, titled Liberating History. New episodes will be posted on this page when they’re ready.
Episode 1: “Trump Administration Policy in the Middle East: A Cruel Continuity.” Watch historian Irene Gendzier explain the historical roots of Trump’s policies toward Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel/Palestine, and the rest of the region.
Episode 2: “The Structure of Punishment: Crack and the Rise of Mass Incarceration.” Historian Donna Murch traces the historical origins of the U.S. “war on drugs” and the system of mass incarceration that accompanies it, focusing on the racist and hypocritical policing of Black crack cocaine users.
Episode 3: “McCarthyism, Old and New.” Joseph McCarthy was a classic demagogue. He led the post-World War II assault on labor and progressive ideas by claiming that his opponents were agents of the Soviet Union. Historian Ellen Schrecker compares McCarthy to Donald Trump. She highlights the ways that both men were “facilitated and assisted by the mainstream political world,” because pro-business politicians were aware of “how useful these demagogues were in getting their own program through.”
Episode 4: “India’s Far Right in Historical Perspective.” India’s far right has increasingly dominated the mainstream of Indian politics in recent years. Historian Prasannan Parthasarathi explains its origins in the country’s caste system and the ideology of Hindu nationalism.
Episode 5: “Black Panthers Against Patriarchy.” Black women were involved in the Black Panther Party at all levels: not only as workers who staffed the Panthers’ free community programs, but as theoreticians, strategists, and organizers. Historian Robyn C. Spencer explains why so many women saw the party as a place of empowerment. Though sexism was still a problem in the organization, many Black women found the Panthers far more responsive to their voices than other institutions were.
Can you chip in $10, $20, or $30 to help us make more episodes? You can donate online by visiting https://new.historiansforpeace.org/donate/.
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