Associate Professor of History, Eugene Lang College, The New School

Past Present

Past Present Podcast, Episode 340

August 30, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss – and celebrate! - the publication of Niki’s new book, Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s....

Past Present

The Alex Jones Defamation Trial

Past Present Podcast, Episode 339

August 16, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the defamation trial of right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones....

Past Present

Third Parties in American Politics

Past Present Podcast, Episode 338

August 9, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the history of third parties in American politics....

Past Present

Past Present Podcast, Episode 337

August 2, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the history of U.S. national parks....

Past Present

Past Present Podcast, Episode 336

July 26, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the growing popularity of prenuptial agreements....

Past Present

The Webb Telescope and the History of Space Photography

Past Present Podcast, Episode 335

July 19, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the images from outer space captured by the Webb telescope....

The Webb Telescope and the History of Space Photography

Past Present

Summer Travel and European Vacations

Past Present Podcast, Episode 334

July 12, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: American travel to Europe is back with such a vengeance that some are calling it “revenge travel.” Neil referred to this history of the “Grand Tour.” Natalia and Niki drew on this Hudson Valley magazine article about midcentury Catskills resorts. In ...

Past Present

The Monkeypox Outbreak

Past Present Podcast, Episode 333

July 5, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the outbreak of monkeypox in the United States....

Past Present

Religious Schooling and Church-State Separation

Past Present Podcast, Episode 332

June 28, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: In a victory for proponents of school choice and a major weakening of church-state separation, Maine will now be required to provide state funding to religious schools. Neil cited this Slate article about the ruling, and Natalia drew on this ...

Religious Schooling and Church-State Separation

Past Present

The Tampon Shortage

Past Present Podcast, Episode 331

June 21, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

A national tampon shortage has until recently been dismissed as a minor inconvenience or even a punchline. ...

Past Present

Summer Weddings and June Brides

Past Present Podcast, Episode 330

June 14, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: June wedding season is upon us, and after two years of delayed celebrations, it is especially packed. Natalia referred to this Harper’s Bazaar photo essay about representation and same-sex marriage, and to this Buzzfeed article, which is useful despite repeating ...

Past Present

Uvalde, Texas and the Persistence of American Gun Violence

Past Present Podcast, Episode 329

June 7, 2022 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Yet another mass shooting, this one at a Texas elementary school, highlights the unique American obsession with gun rights. Niki referred to this NPR piece on the tape recording of NRA leadership after the 1999 Columbine school shooting, and Natalia ...