Category Archives: Cultural History

Netflix’s Barbarians Series and German History

A new Netflix series, entitled Barbarians, depicts warfare between the Roman Empire and Germanic peoples, culminating in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. According to The New York Times, “German nationalists, including the Nazis, have used the battle as an ideological … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Union, Historical Film, History in the Media, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Idea of Europe, Museums and Historical Memory, War and Society, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Doctoral Fellowships in European History

The European University Institute in Fiesole, Italy, is offering fully funded doctoral fellowships for students wishing to pursue Ph.D. studies in European history. The European University Institute (EUI) is located on a majestic hill overlooking Firenze (Florence), Italy, an inspiring … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Union, Graduate Work in History, Grants and Fellowships, Idea of Europe, Italian History, Medieval History, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History, Study Abroad | 1 Comment

Islamic Art History Resource

A new online resource for Islamic art history has just been launched online. Northern Illinois University students in my HIST 110 History of the Western World I course are studying the expansion of Islam at this point in the semester … Continue reading

Posted in Art History, Court Studies, Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Book, Maritime History, Material Culture, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Religious History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Astrolabes and Armillary Spheres

The Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library is hosting a virtual discussion of scientific instruments and scientific knowledge in the Renaissance. Here is the announcement from the Center for Renaissance Studies: Astrolabes and Armillary Spheres: Scientific Instruments and … Continue reading

Posted in Art History, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, History in the Media, History of Science, Intellectual History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Things of Darkness and Early Modern Critical Race Studies

The Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library is hosting a series of discussions on Race in Dialogue, which focuses on critical race studies in the humanities. Graduate students in HIST 522 Early Modern Europe at Northern Illinois University … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Graduate Work in History, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Lectures and Seminars, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, Women and Gender History, World History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Expanding the Renaissance

The Renaissance Society of America is organizing an online graduate student workshop on Expanding the Renaissance. The workshop is being organized by the RSA Graduate Student Advisory Committee, which has issued a call for papers. The workshop will held virtually … Continue reading

Posted in Conferences, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Graduate Work in History, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Lives Matter at Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University students, faculty, and staff are actively involved in the Black Lives Matter movement in Illinois. The Center for Black Studies at Northern Illinois University is responding with creativity and activism to a recent racist vandalism attack on … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, History of Violence, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Northern Illinois University, Political Culture, The Past Alive: Teaching History | Leave a comment

New Research on Vikings

DNA studies are revealing new information on complicated ethnic backgrounds of Viking warriors and traders in medieval Europe. A research team led by a professor at the University of Copenhagen has analyzed the genomes of 443 bodies buried in Viking … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, European History, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Maritime History, Material Culture, Medieval History, Museums and Historical Memory, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Leave a comment

Racist Vandalism on Campus

I was saddened and angered to hear of the racist vandalism on Northern Illinois campus early yesterday (Thursday 17 September 2020) morning, when someone spray-painted racist slurs on the Center for Black Studies in an act of targeted vandalism. This … Continue reading

Posted in Academic Freedom, Cultural History, Empires and Imperialism, Globalization, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Human Rights, Illinois History and Society, Northern Illinois University, Political Culture, Social History, United States History and Society, World History | Leave a comment

Saint Sebastian and the Arrows of the Plague

The Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library has published a new episode of its series on Learning from Premodern Plagues on “Saint Sebastian and the Arrows of the Plague.” Students in my courses on HIST 110 History of … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Lectures and Seminars, Religious History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment