Category Archives: History of Violence

New Review of Warrior Pursuits in French

A new book review by Gregory Champeaud critiques my Warrior Pursuits: Noble Culture and Civil Conflict in Early Modern France (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010. Champeaud’s review was recently published in French in the online journal, Francia-Recencio. The … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, French History, French Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Reformation History, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Interviewing War Criminals

What is it like to confront evil in a face-to-face encounter? This is a question that James Dawes poses to himself frequently as he interviews war criminals. Dawes, a professor of English and director of the Program in Human Rights … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Museums and Historical Memory, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Continuing Egyptian Revolution

The Egyptian Revolution continues to develop, although the international news media has largely treated it as a process completed after the Arab Spring, which launched revolutionary processes in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Lybia, and other countries. This week, the Egyptian military … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Comparative Revolutions, History of Violence, Human Rights, Mediterranean World, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Collection of War Letters Opens

A large private collection of American war letters is preparing to open to the public. The collection is the result of the work of Andrew Carroll, an individual collector who became curious about wartime letters after suffering the loss of … Continue reading

Posted in Archival Research, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Refugee Shelters by IKEA

Most wars produce numerous refugees, who flee from war zones. Protracted civil conflicts often force millions of civilians to flee from their homes and to seek shelter in safe regions or in neighboring countries. Refugee camps proliferate across the borders … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Globalization, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

Sexual Assault in the US Military

Sexual assault in the United States military has recently been recognized as a serious problem, but the issue has deep roots. Veterans of the Vietnam War have begun to offer testimony of sexual assaults during the 1960s and 1970s. A … Continue reading

Posted in Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, Human Rights, War, Culture, and Society, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Sex, Gender, and World War II

Marie Louise Roberts explores gender and sexuality among American soldiers serving in France during the Second World War in a new book entitled, What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France. Roberts is Professor of … Continue reading

Posted in Civilians and Refugees in War, European History, French History, Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, War, Culture, and Society, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Elizabethan Privateering and Cyberwar

An op-ed in the New York Times compares cyberwar to the privateering conflicts of the Elizabethan period. Jordan Chandler Hirsch and Sam Adelsberg, authors of the op-ed, argue that “In confronting today’s cyberbattles, the United States should think less about … Continue reading

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, History of Violence, Information Management, Laws of War, Maritime History, Piracy, Reformation History, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | 1 Comment

Naming Wars

Historians often face difficulties in naming events, including wars. Although many people assume that events simply occur, historians are acutely aware that “events” are socially and culturally constructed. Historians have to grapple with the difficulties of arbitrarily determining when an … Continue reading

Posted in Historiography and Social Theory, History of Violence, Political Culture, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

Knife Attack on French Soldier

A young man assaulted a French soldier with a knife today that may have been partially patterned on the recent attack on a British soldier in Woolwich. The soldier survived the attack and his attacker has been arrested. Witnesses alleged … Continue reading

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Paris History, Terrorism | Leave a comment