Category Archives: Historiography and Social Theory

Trump Administration Aims to Manipulate History

Posted on April 24, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump and his administration are attempting to manipulate the historical record of the United States and control historical interpretations of its past. President Trump issued an executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” on 27 March … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Contemporary France, Education Policy, French History, Higher Education, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Presidential Abuse of Powers on Tariffs

Posted on April 11, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump is abusing powers that he doesn’t even have. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States indicates that the U.S. Congress—not the President—has the power to set tariffs. “The Congress shall have Power To lay … Continue reading →

Posted in Globalization, Historiography and Social Theory, Information Management, international relations, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Technocratic and Fascist Ideology of Elon Musk

Posted on April 4, 2025 by briansandberg

Elon Musk may exhibit highly erratic and volatile behavior, but he espouses a coherent Technocratic and Fascist ideology that was articulated in the 1930s. Jill Lepore, Professor of History and Law (Harvard University), traces the history of Elon Musk’s grandfather, … Continue reading →

Posted in Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Cultural History, Higher Education, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Information Revolutions, Intellectual History, Italian History, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Political Theory, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Trump’s War on History

Posted on March 31, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump has declared war on History. David W. Blight, Professor of History (Yale University), has written an op-ed published in The New York Times, responding to the Trump administration’s attack on the Smithsonian Institution. He writes that “On Thursday … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, Historiography and Social Theory, History of Race and Racism, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great War and Modern Memory at 50

Posted on February 15, 2025 by briansandberg

Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory, a classic study of British soldiers’ writings about trench warfare on the Western Front during the First World War, is now 50 years old. Dwight Garner, a book critic at The New … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, European History, European Studies, French History, Historiography and Social Theory, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, Public History, Strategy and International Politics, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

Celebrating Black History Month in a Time of Crisis

Posted on February 1, 2025 by briansandberg

History professors, teachers, and students across the United States are celebrating Black History Month in a time of crisis. “Feb. 1 is the beginning of Black History Month, which for decades has recognized the contributions of Black people to American … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, History of Slavery, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political Culture, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Documenting the Storming of the U.S. Capitol

Posted on January 7, 2025 by briansandberg

The Storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then President Trump is one of the most documented individual episodes of mass violence in history. As President-Elect Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, it is important to revisit the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Violence, Information Management, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Political Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering the Storming of the U.S. Capitol

Posted on January 6, 2025 by briansandberg

Today, I am remembering the Storming of the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021. The Storming of the U.S. Capitol was an organized paramilitary attack that represented a coup de force (or coup de majesté)—essentially an insurrection from above—carried out … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Crowd Studies, Historiography and Social Theory, History of Violence, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Revolts and Revolutions, Terrorism, United States History and Society, War, Culture, and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Teaching Western History

Posted on August 30, 2024 by briansandberg

I am teaching HIST 110 History of the Western World I this fall semester at Northern Illinois and am once again revamping the readings. I have decided to go with a new interpretive essay, Josephine Quinn’s How the World Made … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient History, European History, Historiography and Social Theory, History of the Western World, Idea of Europe, Medieval History, Mediterranean World, Northern Illinois University, The Past Alive: Teaching History, Undergraduate Work in History, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Zemmour contre l’histoire Review

Posted on February 22, 2023 by briansandberg

I was conducting research in Marseille during the 2022 French Presidential Elections and observed the campaign of far-right politician Éric Zemmour closely. I have published a book review related to Zemmour’s campaign in Modern and Contemporary France: “The stunning growth … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, French Wars of Religion, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, Political Culture, Public History | Leave a comment