Category Archives: Cultural History

Would-be King Trump

Posted on January 22, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump’s inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C., have been filled with royal rhetoric and regal symbolism, promoting the new President as a would-be king. The New York Times reports that “At a late-night inaugural ball on Monday, President Trump, flush … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, French History, History of the Western World, Monarchies and Royal States, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Political Theory, Renaissance Art and History, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Army of God and Religious Politics in the U.S.

Posted on January 9, 2025 by briansandberg

A new report in The Atlantic focuses on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) in contemporary Christianity and its growing influence in the political culture of the United States. Stephanie McCrummen writes: “A shift is under way, one that scholars have … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, French Wars of Religion, Intellectual History, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Reformation History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Royalty, Territorial Claims, and International Politics

Posted on January 6, 2025 by briansandberg

Early modern issues of royal heraldry and territorial claims have reemerged in contemporary international politics. The King of Denmark is changing his coat of arms, provoking surprise among European political analysts and historians. The Guardian reports that “The Danish king … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, European Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Medieval History, Monarchies and Royal States, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Political Theory, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Map Digitization at the Newberry Library

Posted on October 25, 2024 by briansandberg

The Newberry Library has digitized a major collection of early modern European and world maps printed in Italy. “The Newberry has recently completed the digitization of over 750 maps printed in Italy during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Franco … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartographic History, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, History of the Book, Italian History, Manuscript Studies, Maritime History, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Warfare in the Early Modern World, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Silk Road and Eurasian Cities

Posted on October 23, 2024 by briansandberg

A “casual tip” led archaeologist Michael Frachetti to the discovery of “Tugunbulak, an enormous fortified city dating back to a medieval empire. He and his team would spend nearly a decade trying to map out the site, as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern World, Globalization, History of the Western World, Material Culture, Medieval History, Urban History, World History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Netherlands Returns Looted Artifacts to Indonesia

Posted on September 22, 2024 by briansandberg

The Netherlands has returned numerous looted artifacts and art objects to Indonesia in a major repatriation. This move aims to make partial restitution for historical legacies of Dutch colonialism, imperialism, and slavery in Southeast Asia. The New York Times reports … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient History, Art History, Cultural History, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History in the Media, History of Slavery, History of Violence, Material Culture, Medieval History, Museums and Historical Memory, World History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Rituals, History, and the Paris 2024 Olympics

Posted on September 16, 2024 by briansandberg

The Opening Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympics were certainly impressive and have attracted sustained interest from cultural historians, political historians, sports historians, and literary scholars in French and Francophone studies. Trisha Urmi Banerjee and Nathaniel Zetter (University of Cambridge) … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, European History, European Studies, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

French History at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Posted on September 13, 2024 by briansandberg

The dramatic opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics featured French history and culture in a series of tableaux vivants and performances that referenced early modern French theater and court culture. Several of my colleagues in early modern French history … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, European Studies, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, History in the Media, Museums and Historical Memory, Women and Gender History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Digital Mapping and Pre-Modern Violence

Posted on November 3, 2023 by briansandberg

Digital mapping projects are investigating episodes of violence in pre-modern societies in new ways. Interpersonal violence often erupted in pre-modern societies. Recent studies of late medieval England recount murders in urban centers: “A spice merchant stabbed by a fruit seller … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Digital Humanities, European History, History of Violence, Manuscript Studies, Material Culture, Medieval History, Urban History | Leave a comment

Natalie Zemon Davis and Early Modern History

Posted on October 23, 2023 by briansandberg

I deeply saddened to learn today that renowned early modern historian Natalie Zemon Davis has died. Natalie Zemon Davis was a brilliant historian of early modern French, European, Mediterranean, and global history. Natalie’s essays on unruly women, women’s honor, gender … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, French History, French Wars of Religion, History of the Book, Languedoc and Southern France, Mediterranean World, Rare Books and Pamphlets, Reformation History, Religious Violence, Women and Gender History, World History | Leave a comment