Category Archives: Museums and Historical Memory

Illinois Creoles

France constructed a vast empire in the Caribbean and North America during the early modern period, leaving lasting cultural influence in Francophone Haiti, Louisiana, and Quebec. Often forgotten is the French imperial territory in the Illinois country and Mississippi valley. … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, Francophonie, French Empire, French History, History in the Media, History of the Western World, Humanities Education, Illinois History and Society, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Leave a comment

Teaching the History of Race

Historians confront the complicated history of race and racism in the pre-modern, modern, and contemporary world. Yet, historians and social science teachers in the United States are under attack by conservative politicians and political activists. Many conservative political groups have … Continue reading

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, High School History Teaching, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History | Leave a comment

Virtual Rome

My students in HIST 420 The Renaissance at Northern Illinois University recently discussed the intellectual movement of Humanism in the Renaissance, focusing especially on the Humanists’ fascination with antiquities and their nostalgia for ancient Rome. Students read passages from Poggio … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient History, Art History, Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History in the Media, History of the Book, Humanities Education, Intellectual History, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Renaissance Art and History, The Past Alive: Teaching History | Leave a comment

Historians Respond to Critical Race Theory Controversy

Historians and educators across the United States are responding to the current political attacks on Critical Race Theory and politicians’ attempts to dictate the ways in which professional historians teach about race and racism in American history. Many historians and … Continue reading

Posted in Academic Freedom, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Education Policy, Empires and Imperialism, European History, French History, Globalization, High School History Teaching, 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, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Renaissance Art and History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Multiracial Ships and Maritime History

Maritime historians have recognized that premodern ships represented diverse onboard communities, composed of multicultural—and often multiracial—crews. The social spaces of ships brought together officers, navigators, sailors, soldiers, artisans, and slaves recruited or coerced from very different population groups. But, the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History in the Media, History of Medicine, History of Race and Racism, History of Science, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Maritime History, Museums and Historical Memory, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Roman History and Modern Society

Ancient Roman history is alive and well, and newsworthy. An interview with Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, in The New York Times highlights diverse ways in which Roman history is actively used in today’s society … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient History, Cultural History, European History, History in the Media, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Diversity in Historical Re-enactments

Colonial Williamsburg, one of the most important sites for historical re-enactment in the United States, is increasingly stressing diversity issues in its historical interpretations of colonial American society. The community of Williamsburg, Virginia, has been promoting building restoration and living … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, Historical Re-enactment, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Museums and Historical Memory, Social History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, Urban History, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

¡ Viva la Libertad !

The Newberry Library is currently showing an exhibition on ¡ Viva la Libertad ! Latin American and the Age of Revolutions. ¡ Viva la Libertad ! explores Latin American revolutions in the nineteenth century and their legacies for Central and … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Civil Conflict, Comparative Revolutions, Crowd Studies, Cultural History, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Human Rights, Manuscript Studies, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Revolts and Revolutions, World History | Leave a comment

Remembering the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921

The New York Times has published an interactive reconstruction of the predominantly African American neighborhood of Greenwood and mapped the brutal violence of the armed White crowd that destroyed it during the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. This is a … Continue reading

Posted in Atrocities, Cartographic History, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Crowd Studies, Cultural History, Digital Humanities, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Human Rights, Museums and Historical Memory, United States History and Society, Urban History | Leave a comment

Europe Day 2021

Europeans are celebrating Europe Day today, 9 May 2021. Europe Day is an annual holiday in the European Union. A Conference on the Future of Europe is coordinated to coincide with Europe Day this year. The conference organizers explain that … Continue reading

Posted in Conferences, European History, European Union, French History, Human Rights, Idea of Europe, Museums and Historical Memory, Strategy and International Politics | Leave a comment