History Archives - Page 19 of 78

Jerome Robbins, Montgomery Clift, and the Origins of “West Side Story”

How a hit Broadway musical was born in New York’s post-war bohemia

March 2, 2020 • by Julia Foulkes

We print this excerpt from Julia L. Foulkes, A Place for Us: “West Side Story” and New York (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016) in celebration of the new Broadway production of West Side Story that opened at The Broadway Theater on February 20, 2020. The choreographer Jerome Robbins and the actor Montgomery ...

Jerome Robbins, Montgomery Clift, and the Origins of “West Side Story”

Imaginal Politics

Philosophy, the Greeks, and U.S. Settler-colonialism

The Myth of an American Arcadia

February 26, 2020 • by Chiara Bottici

As I read more commentaries about the symbolic impact of such a choice for neo-classical architecture and the way in which it has been embraced by white supremacists to purports a view of the US past as “white only,” I am reminded of a striking fact that impressed me ever since I ...

Philosophy

Black Socrates (1995)

February 25, 2020 • by Simon Critchley

It was a moment in my life when music and politics and philosophy converged in a kind of contrapuntal harmony. The black modernism of funk, soul, and reggae, went hand in hand with an anti-essentialist, anti-metaphysical idea of socialist strategy that was particularly indebted to the work of figures like Ernesto Laclau. My friends ...

North America

The Specter of George McGovern’s Defeat in 1972

Similarities — and Key Differences — with the Prospects for Sanders in 2020

February 25, 2020 • by Bruce Miroff

Now that Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2020, the old warnings echo even louder. Veteran media commentator Chris Matthews is typical of alarmists in prophesying that Sanders as nominee would match McGovern in losing 49 states (presumably Vermont ...

The Specter of George McGovern’s Defeat in 1972

Past Present

COVID-19 and Protective Face Masks

Past Present Podcast, Episode 217

February 25, 2020 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The threat of coronavirus has lately made protective face masks a fixture in many global cities. Natalia cited this Vox article about the hoarding of such masks. Neil referred to this Quartz piece about the broader use of face masks in Asian countries. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia recommended Mac ...

Past Present

A Proposal to “Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again”

Past Present Podcast, Episode 216

February 18, 2020 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Conservative architectural organization the National Civic Art Society has drafted an executive order that establishes the style for federal buildings nationwide. Natalia cited this Intelligencer article about the false dichotomies on which the ensuing debate rests. Niki referred to Ross Douthat’s New York Times opinion piece on the ...

The New School

The New School’s Forgotten President

The controversial tenure of John Everett

February 18, 2020 • by Anna Robinson-Sweet

It’s likely that the end of Everett’s tenure, which found The New School in a precarious academic and financial position, is also to blame for his historical neglect. Now, thanks to recently processed records from the presidency of John Everett at The New School Archives, we have access to a ...

North America

A Post-Impeachment Roadmap for Congress

Impeachment may be over, but President Trump is continuing his assault on the Constitution. The House can check him. Here’s how.

February 17, 2020 • by Jeffrey K. Tulis

The problem is that Donald Trump does dwell on the past. His recent impeachment has replaced his 2016 presidential election the primary focus of his resentment. He seeks to magnify the significance of his acquittal and diminish that of his impeachment. As Americans turn their attention away from impeachment, Donald ...

History

The Rastafari in Britain

Writing Community-Engaged History

February 17, 2020 • by Aleema Gray

When future generations study the pages of history, seeking to understand the growth and development of black community histories, what will they find? Will they remember a history that contributed to our understandings of dominant ideologies and visions of social change? Or will they recall its failures, and its inability ...

Politics

The Corbyn Mirage

With little leadership experience, Labour’s leader consistently failed to deliver

February 12, 2020 • by Simon Jones

Labour’s election campaign was an evisceration, handing the Tories an 80 seat majority in the House of Commons and, with no opposition ever having overcome such a deficit in a single electoral cycle, a presumptive decade in power. The party’s heartlands in the North of England were smashed by the Conservatives and ...

Past Present

The 2020 Iowa Caucuses

Past Present Podcast, Episode 215

February 11, 2020 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The 2020 Iowa caucus was a logistical disaster. Natalia cited this POLITICO piece about longer standing concerns about Iowa. Neil wrote about Pete Buttigieg’s historic showing in Iowa in his column for The Week. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia discussed the Amazon ...

Migration

Why Nationalism Hurts Us All

Eliminating borders would be revolutionary

February 7, 2020 • by Nandita Sharma

Nationalism is central to the maintenance -- and expansion -- of border control regimes. Defense of laws denying freedom of mobility across national territorial borders animate large swaths of those defined as the nation-state’s “citizens.” Anti-migrant politics is sold as an effective response to experiences of impoverishment, expropriation, and exploitation. ...