Category Archives: Intellectual History

George Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Modern America

Posted on July 28, 2025 by briansandberg

Charlie English has published an essay in The New York Times on the role that George Orwell’s 1984 played in the Cold War, drawing comparisons to the book being banned in the United States in the twenty-first century. English is … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Academic Publishing, Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, High School History Teaching, History in the Media, History of the Book, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Intellectual History, international relations, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Political Theory, Public History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, 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 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

History of Cartography Lecture at the Newberry Library

Posted on October 24, 2022 by briansandberg

The Newberry Library in Chicago has truly impressive cartographic collections and also hosts the Hermon Dunlop Smith Center for the History of Cartography. The Smith Center holds a major annual lecture series on the history of cartography at the Newberry … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Cartographic History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Intellectual History, Lectures and Seminars, Material Culture, Renaissance Art and History, World History | Leave a comment

Teaching Technologies in the Early Modern Classroom

Posted on September 1, 2022 by briansandberg

The Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library has published a new blog post about early modern teaching technologies. This blog post focuses on the use of hornbooks in teaching basic reading. The post also briefly discusses early modern … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History of the Book, Intellectual History, Material Culture, Rare Books and Pamphlets, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, Social History | Leave a comment

Rousseau and Revolution

Posted on February 22, 2022 by briansandberg

The Medieval and Early Modern Studies Seminar at Montclair State University is hosting a lecture by Francesco Toto on “Rousseau and Revolution in the Second Discourse.” Graduate students in pre-modern History at Northern Illinois University may be interested in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Comparative Revolutions, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, History of Violence, Intellectual History, Revolts and Revolutions | Leave a comment

Remembering Florence in the Forgotten Centuries

Posted on February 3, 2022 by briansandberg

Florence is almost always associated with the Renaissance, but until relatively recently the focus of Florentine history was on the quattrocento (1400s) and Republican Florence. Eric Cochrane’s groundbreaking work, Florence in the Forgotten Centuries: A History of Florence and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, History of Race and Racism, History of the Western World, Intellectual History, Italian History, Lectures and Seminars, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

CRS Graduate Student Conference

Posted on January 27, 2022 by briansandberg

The Newberry Library’s Center for Renaissance Studies is hosting its Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference online via Zoom, beginning today. Graduate students in Renaissance studies and pre-modern History at Northern Illinois University are encouraged to participate. Here is the announcement from … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Conferences, Court Studies, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, Graduate Work in History, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Book, History of the Western World, Intellectual History, Italian History, Reformation History, Religious History, Renaissance Art and History, Warfare in the Early Modern World, Women and Gender History, World History | Leave a comment

Commemorating Montaigne’s Essais

Posted on January 27, 2022 by briansandberg

French literary scholars are commemorating the 450th anniversary of the beginning of the writing of Montaigne’s Essais. Michel de Montaigne began writing his innovative essays in southwestern France in 1572, the year of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. France Mémoire … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Atrocities, Civil Conflict, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, French History, French Language and Literature, French Wars of Religion, History in the Media, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Intellectual History, Languedoc and Southern France, Museums and Historical Memory, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Political Theory, Reformation History, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

NEH Summer Seminar on Reformation Printing

Posted on December 28, 2021 by briansandberg

The Ohio State University will be hosting a NEH Summer Seminar on Printing and the Book during the Reformation: 1450-1650, during Summer 2022. This seminar is a great opportunity for university professors and independent researchers interested in the Reformation, print … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History of the Book, Information Management, Intellectual History, Lectures and Seminars, Material Culture, Rare Books and Pamphlets, Reformation History, Religious History | Leave a comment