The AskHistorians Podcast

The panelists aimed to explore different historiographical perspectives relating to: the current political climate in Brazil and the challenges the Bolsonaro administration poses for historians and scholars of the humanities; outlining essential considerations when designing universally accessible academic resources and archives; introducing an open-source, peer-reviewed collection of digital resources pertaining to the history of the LBGTQIA+ community; and producing an oral history collection that showcases student and faculty experiences in learning and teaching during the COVID19 pandemic. Historical Experts: Kirsteen MacKenzie - "The Importance of Universal Access Principles in Digital History" Brian Watson - "Building an LGBTQIA+ archive" (More info at https://histsex.org/) Mário Rezende - "Writing History in a country that chases historians" Summer Cherland - "More and More Every Day: An Oral History Collection of Teaching and Learning in the COVID19 Era" (More info at https://southphoenixoralhistory.com/more-and-more-every-day/) The roundtable was moderated by Juan Sebastián Lewin.

Tyler Alderson interviews Dr. Sally Foster about an overlooked group of objects: replicas. Far from being just a copy of an original object, replicas can have their own lives and value. Dr. Foster discusses her research and new book on the St. John's Cross replica on the Scottish island of Iona, as well as a set of principles and guidance she has helped prepare for working with replicas. 61 minutes.

Tyler Alderson interviews Seb Lewin about a region of the world often overlooked when it comes to classical music: Latin America. The interview covers the lives and music of several important composers, discussing how their music is a reflection of musical and societal trends in their countries. 77 minutes

In this episode, Johannes Breit interviews historian Daniel Lee about his new book "The SS-Officer's Armchair". In his book Lee, a specialist on the history of Jews in France and North Africa, follows the trail of several documents found sewn into an armchair. Weaving together historical work with his own process of uncovering information about Robert Giesinger, mid-level German bureaucrat and owner of the papers, Lee crafts a gripping account about both the nature of Nazi perpetrators as well as a historian's hunt for answers.

In this episode, u/EnclavedMicrostate interviews Michael Bonner on the subject of the Sasanian Empire, which ruled Iran and its environs from the fall of the Arsacid (Parthian) empire in the early 3rd century AD to the rise of Islam in the 7th century. This covers the politics of the empire, its religious landscape, and the geopolitics of Eurasia in Late Antiquity, with discussion of connections and conflicts with Rome, Armenia, the steppe, and China.

In this episode, P.H. Jones and Johannes Breit discuss their research on the death of Adolf Hitler in 1945. Although Hitler's suicide and subsequent cremation has always been widely accepted within the historical community, it nevertheless spawned numerous conspiracy theories about his survival and escape. Backdropped against the tensions of the Cold War, and internal distrust between Soviet intelligence groups, Jones and Breit trace the origins of these rumors, and the developing historiography concerning Hitler's final day.

In this episode, u/EnclavedMicrostate interviews Brian Dott about the history of the chile pepper in China. This covers the pepper's introduction and spread, its integration into existing Chinese cuisine and understandings of culinary theory, its use as a medicine, as a cultural metaphor, and as a marker of regional identities.

In this episode, u/Sunagainstgold interviews Keagan Brewer about atheism in the Medieval period. The interview covers examples of medieval atheists, their treatment by the church, and the historical controversy over their very existence.

Guest-host Max (/u/Commustar) speaks with Reuben A. Loffman about his book "Church, State and Colonialism in Southeastern Congo; 1890-1962" (2019, Palgrave-MacMillan). This wide-ranging interview covers pre-colonial history of the Kongolo region; the role of White Fathers and Spiritan missionaries; and the experience of decolonization and the Katanga secession. You can find Reuben Loffman on twitter as @ReubenLoffman,

This is the second part of the discussion between myself, /u/Steelcan909, and /u/EnclavedMicrostate, wherein we discuss the Opium Wars themselves, the actual role of opium in the wars, and the fallout that these events had on subsequent Chinese and European history.

Welcome to the first of our two part series on the Opium Wars! Today I, /u/Steelcan909, am joined by /u/EnclavedMicrostate in a discussion about the development of the opium trade and the tensions between the Qing government and British merchants that erupted into two wars between these Imperial giants.

We have the privilege to speak with Dr. Anya Jabour about her recent biography, "Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America." Breckinridge was a university professor in the early 20th century who played a major role in nearly every area of social activism you can fathom--and here, you have the chance to learn all about her, and to use her as a window into the history of social activism in the 20th century United States.

In this episode, Jeremy (/u/EnclavedMicrostate) interviews then-flaired-user (now newly-minted moderator) /u/Steelcan909 on the matter of the Christianisation of England during the Early Middle Ages. What happened to Christianity after the Romans left? How did it come back? Were attempts made to syncretise Christianity with paganism? And where does horse meat come into it all? Find out all this and more on this episode of the AskHistorians Podcast.

On January 4, members of the AskHistorians mod team spoke as a panel at the annual American Historical Association conference in New York City. We recorded that panel, "Historians on the Battleground of Social Media: Lessons from Eight Years of AskHistorians," to share with our listeners at home! (Some audience questions at the end were edited out, as they were too quiet to hear or amplify in post-production. The answers are still in the podcast, though!) You can read our papers here: https://askhistorians.com/conferences/aha2020.html

Today /u/Drylaw talks with Professor Nicholas Buccola, author of "The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America" (Princeton University Press, 2017), about the important 1965 debate on race between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. We cover their influences on the civil rights and conservative movements respectively, and their ideas' continuing relevance. You can find Professor Buccola on Twitter as @buccola_nick.

For his debut as an interviewer rather than as a guest on the podcast, Jeremy Salkeld (/u/EnclavedMicrostate) is joined by flaired user /u/dandan_noodles to discuss warfare and its changes and continuities from the mid-eighteenth century and the wars of Frederick the Great up to the early nineteenth century and the wars of Napoleon. Why were wars fought? Who joined the armies? How did they fight? Did the revolution in French politics create a revolution in French warfare? Find out all this and more in this episode. (Total length: 102 minutes) Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

Cassidy Percoco is joined by Lyndsey Craig, MS candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to chat briefly about the study, "Pubic Hair Removal Practices in Cross-Cultural Perspective," of which she was lead author. The study's anthropological in nature, but involves some descriptions of historical practices! You can follow Lyndsey on twitter as @lyndseykcraig. You can follow Cassidy on twitter as @mimicofmodes and at A Most Beguiling Accomplishment. Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

Brian M. Watson is joined by Saniya Lee Ghanoui, PhD candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in order to examine the intersections of media and technology studies, gender and sexuality, and medicine and public health--which is to say the sexual education film in America and Sweden. Come relive your awkward (or non-existing!) highschool memories of sex-ed class and learn about the history leading up to that cringeworthy film and why it why it takes the form it does today. This is a transnational and transdisciplinary media event however, and we discuss Alfred Kinsey, condoms, and that time Dwight Eisenhower insulted the entire country of Sweden. You can follow Saniya on twitter @Saniya1 and at https://www.saniyaleeghanoui.com/. You can follow Brian on twitter @brimwats and at http://brimwats.com/. Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else! © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're joined by Fraser Raeburn, our very own /u/Crrpit, to talk about the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War with a specific emphasis on Scottish volunteers. Who joined? Why did they join? What were the politics of the International Brigades? Hear about this, and much more, in this episode. You can find him on Twitter as @FraserRaeburn.

Today we're joined by Robert M. Sarwark, Visiting Fellow in Publishing History at Harvard University's Houghton Library, to talk about librarianship and his research into the history of the book during the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. You can find him on Twitter as @RaMerrix. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're joined by Professor Joshua Specht of Monash University to talk about his new book Red Meat Republic: A Hoof-to-Table History of How Beef Changed America (Princeton University Press, 2019). You can find him on Twitter as @joshspecht.

Today we have Dr. Eric Rauchway, a professor at the University of California, Davis. Professor Rauchway has expertise on U.S. policy, social, and economic history from the Civil War through the Second World War. He has consulted for government and private agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice and a major Hollywood studio. Professor Rauchway's recent research focuses on the New Deal and the Second World War. He has written several books on how federal policy affects the US economy, and how the economy —international and domestic— influences U.S. policy. His research has been featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio. He has just finished a book on the conflict between Republicans and Democrats over how to combat the Depression at its worst, in 1932-1933. You can find him fighting the good fight on Twitter @rauchway and his books here https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Rauchway/ © 2019 Brian M. Watson

On today's episode we're talking with Professor Tamara Walker (Assistant Professor of History at the University of Toronto), about her book Exquisite Slaves: Race, Clothing and Status in Colonial Lima (Cambridge University Press, 2017). You can find her book here.

In another return visit, Doug Priest, /u/TenMinuteHistory stops by! You can last hear him on Episode 95 talking about the revolution before the revolution in Russia and Episode 86 where we talked about what it takes to be a historian, the tools and background you need Doug has his PhD in Soviet History from Michigan State University. Currently, he is the Digital Managing Editor at Townsquare Media and the incoming president of H-Net which is the OTHER largest academic history and social sciences forum online. Today we are going to continue our discussion on methodology. We want to tackle a topic we've seen come up a lot lately - bias. You can follow Doug on Twitter @10MinuteHistory and Brian @brimwats. You can find the Jill Lepore piece we discuss here. Discussion thread here. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on the pod we're chatting with (tenured) Professor Daniel Bessner about the adjunctification of academic life: both its impact on academia and ways that people are fighting back. You can follow Professor Bessner on Twitter @dbessner

Today we are joined by a flaired member of the AskHistorians community, /u/PartyMoses! Better known to his friends and family as Adam Franti, who got his MA at Eastern Michigan University. We will be talking today in general terms about the War of 1812 and focusing on the argument of his masters thesis, which centers around nationalistic historical narratives of the war that unfairly criticize the militia. Adam also used to give tours about the war of 1812 at Fort Mackinac so he has great insight into the interesting stories! Discussion thread. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on the AskHistorians podcast, we're joined by ante-bellum slavery expert, moderator and contributor extroardinaire Pat (or Freedmenspatrol), to discuss the Missouri Compromise of 1820. In this episode we look at the nature of slavery in the United States in the early 1800s, the explosive tension between pro- and anti-slavery advocates, and the enormous political battle which unfolded over slavery and the statehood of Missouri. You can follow Pat as /u/freemenspatrol on Reddit, or join us in the podcast discussion here! ~96 minutes

Today on AskHistorians Aloud we have a fantastic answer by /u/mimicofmodes, fka /u/chocolatepot, who answers In the late 19th century, what was a "sports corset"?

Today we're talking with Dr. Roel Konijnendijk about the career of Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson began as a scholar of Ancient Greek warfare but in recent decades he has transformed himself into a pundit. We discuss the implications that this transformation had on his reputation and later work. You can follow Roel on twitter at @Roelkonijn or on Reddit as /u/Iphikrates. You can follow the conversation on the subreddit here.

/u/mikedash, also known literally as Mike Dash, author of a number of books, answers the question In the Godfather part II, the mafia emerged only after a proto-organized crime group, the Black Hand, was superseded. Was there anything that distinguished the mafia from this group, other than who was giving orders? © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we are joined by /u/EnclavedMicrostate, who is a flaired user on AskHistorians on the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion. Together with guest host Bernardito, we talk about a conflict with many misconceptions: The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864). We explore the myths, the realities and the actual history behind the rebellion to explore this critical moment in 19th century Chinese history. Is it true that over 20 million people were killed in this conflict? Who truly was the leader of the Taiping? This, and much more, in this fascinating episode.

Today, we are releasing part two of our two-part series of interviews of historians at the American Historical Association this year. On this episode we have an interview with G Patrick O'Brien (@historia_passim) about his dissertation, tentatively titled "Unknown and Unlamented: Loyalist Women in Exile and Repatriation, 1775-1800," examines loyalist women in Nova Scotia and addresses questions of identity, community formation, and the maintenance of kinship networks in the late-eighteenth century. We also have an interview with Nathan Tye (@Hobo_History), a historian of the nineteenth and twentieth century United States. His research documents the fascinating but misunderstood lives of hobos, tramps, and others transient populations that traveled the country by freight-hopping from the 1870s through 1930s. We also have @hmcbee87, who is a Public History PhD Candidate at Middle Tennessee State University, about WWII relics brought back by soldiers and what they tell us about war, people, and museums. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today, the always-fantastic lcnielsen combines a number of his previous answers on Manichaeism to give us a fantastic overview of what it is and what it entails! See his answers on the topic here: Manichaeism is the only major world religion I could think of to be completely destroyed across multiple national boundaries as the result of severe persecution. What about Manichaeism was so terrifying to every single polity in late antiquity that caused such persecution? Why did Zoroastrianism stop spreading?, was it because the Persian Empire was conquered? Has there ever been a movement to unite Islam, Christianity and Judaism? If so, did any of its proponents draw a similarity between the Holy Trinity and the three branches of Abrahamism?

Today we are joined by a number of historians at the recent American Historical Society Conference in Chicago. First up, we have our very own Corey Bowen, aka /u/Commodorecoco, a PhD student at UIC and the Field Museum, and an archaeologist in his own right! Then it is Eric G.E. Zuelow is chair of the Department of History and Philosophy and an associate professor of European history. He specializes in modern Britain and Ireland, with a particular emphasis on the histories of tourism and national identity. Zuelow is author of SO MANY BOOKS and editor-in-chief of Journal of Tourism History which is published three times per year by Routledge. Zuelow is editor of the Histories and Cultures of Tourism book series, published by Cornell University Press and he is a member of the editorial board for the Britain and the World book series which is published by Palgrave; he deals with titles covering the period after 1688. In addition, he is currently co-editing the Oxford Handbook to the History of Tourism and Travel. He is on twitter at @EZuelow. After that we have Amy-Elizabeth Manlapas a high school history teacher, podcaster and consultant She says talked with writers about what high school is like in the 21st century, how dual-enrollment works, and how a kid might just get away with hiding a secret identity. She has a Master's Degree in History from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in History from Mercer University. She is on twitter at @amymanlapas Finally, we have Jason Herbert!. He is a historian interested in the relationships between Southeastern American Indians, Europeans, and Africans in the 18th and early 19th centuries. His dissertation examines the social, political, demographic, and ecological transformation of Florida following the introduction of livestock in the sixteenth century through the expulsion of much the region's native inhabitants in the nineteenth century. In addition, He is the creator of Historians At The Movies, a multimedia experience that connects historians and others each week via their favorite films. You can find him on twitter at @herberthistory or look for the hashtag #HATM. Discussion thread is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ahamgy/askhistorians_podcast_128_askhistorians_asking/ © 2019 Brian M. Watson

/u/mimicofmodes answers the question "How did women get to wear the pants around here?" Link to answer.

Today we are joined by /u/kaisermatias, who is a flaired user on AskHistorians on 20th c. Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Hockey. kaisermatias is better known to his friends and family as Matt Lerner, and he is here today to talk to us about the history of hockey! We talk about the history of hockey--it's rules, equipment, styles. Then we talk about hockey's important role in Canadian culture and history before turning to the 1972 Summit Series between the USSR and Canada--the first Miracle on Ice--and what it meant then and still means today. Finally, we conclude with the strangest and wildest thing about hockey--the Stanley Cup. Discussion thread here. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today one the AskHistorians Aloud podcast, cleopatra_philopater discusses the history of lesbianism in the medieval Middle East. Link to answer. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on AskHistorians Aloud -- /u/mimicofmodes answers the question "when did it become acceptable for women to smoke too? Link to answer here.

This week on the AskHistorians Podcast we managed to sit down with three of the wonderful women of @dig_history to talk history podcasting, #twitterstorians, Jill Lepore, What to Expect When You're A History-Loving Highschooler, what #history can learn from #librarylife and so much more! Find Dig - A History Podcast here: https://digpodcast.org/ Historians joining us today: *Averill Earls, PhD* Averill is an historian of modern Ireland and sexuality, and writes about same-sex desiring men, policing, and Dublin's queer urban spaces. She is an Assistant Professor of History at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, where she teaches everything except American History. In addition to making podcast episodes with the amazing women of Dig, she is the Assistant Layout Editor at Nursing Clio. She's published a range of pieces on teaching, literature, and the history of gender and sexuality with collaborative history blogs like Notches and Nursing Clio. When she's not teaching, podcasting, or moonlighting as a member of the Cabot Creamery Co-operative social media team, she enjoys board games, baking, and puppy snuggles. Averill tweets from @aearls. *Sarah Handley-Cousins, PhD* Sarah is an historian of disability and gender in the American Civil War. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of History at the University at Buffalo. Her forthcoming book, to be published with the University of Georgia Press, is about disabled Union veterans during and after the Civil War. In addition to a PhD in History from the University at Buffalo, Sarah holds a BA from Wells College and an MSEd from Niagara University, and is an alum of the New York State Council for the Humanities Public Humanities Fellows. You can find her writing on Nursing Clio, where she is also an Editor, and various digital news outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. She enjoys unresolved romantic tension (in books and movies), visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park, and heated blankets. Sarah tweets from @sarahbelle721. *Marissa C. Rhodes* Marissa is an independent information professional and PhD candidate in History at UB. Her dissertation tells the stories of lactating women for hire in the Atlantic world during the Revolutionary era. In addition to a BA in History from Niagara University, Marissa has an MLS from UB. She is a former fellow at APS, The Library Company/HSP & the Lapidus-Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. But most importantly, she's super into running, red wine, British television, and murder (as much as someone can be into murder without actually doing them). Marissa tweets from @iLURVhistory. (and in spirit) *Elizabeth Garner Masarik* Elizabeth is an historian of the welfare state and women in Progressive Era America. She is currently completing her PhD in History at the University at Buffalo, working on her dissertation and teaching American History. Elizabeth holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA from UB. She is a 2017-18 Fellow in the University at Buffalo Institute for the Research on Women and Gender and 2018-2019 Humanities Institute fellow. She was recently featured by the Texas Tribune as an authority on Mexican-American relations in the borderlands of Texas. She had a forthcoming article, "Por la Raza, Para la Raza: Jovita Idar and Progressive-era Mexicana Maternalism in the Texas-Mexican Border," in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly . Somehow she also has time to be a savvy blogger, and a totally badass powerlifter. Elizabeth tweets from @EGMasarik. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Join us today as Terminus-Trantor answers how maps were made in medieval times.

(44:35) Today we talk with Dr. Edward J. Watts, author of Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny (Basic Books, 2018) about how Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire, and the politics of economics and social accountability. You can find his book here. The /r/AskHistorians discussion thread for this podcast can be found here

A special release podcast today: interviews that Brian Watson did with Brant Ellsworth of Children's Folklore Review and Willa C. Liburd Tavernier for Open Access week at Indiana University. This podcast episode is licensed under CC-BY.

This week we are joined by Caitlin Smith-Oyekole, a Ph.D. candidate in American literature at the University of Notre Dame, where she focuses on doubt in American literature from the Great Awakening to the Civil War. Previous projects have focused on print culture and musical practice in colonial New England, the incipient crisis of authority in 16th -century radical Protestant rhetoric, and more. She is here today to talk to us about the history of the superhero narrative, from Golden Age Superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Discussion thread here. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today on AskHistorians aloud, hillsonghoods answers the question "How did people throughout ancient history explain static electricity?" Link to question and answer: here.

In this week's podcast, we talk to AskHistorians flaired user u/rusoved, a historical linguist with a special focus on Slavic and Albanian linguistics. We discuss how historical linguists work backwards from modern language and dialects to work out how things used to be, as well as how the field itself developed and where it may be going on the future.

Today we have on askhistorians flaired user /u/nilhaus, better known as James McAllister to his friends and family. He has worked in a variety of fields including journalism, IT and government, but he returned to grad school and got his MA and his PHD (ABD) in American History and public history. He is working on his dissertation with an aim of beginning work in a museum afterwards. He talks to us today about the nature of doing history, what it would have been like to be a soldier in the American Civil War, and the UNTOLD sexual history of the American Civil War. You wont get this story anywhere else! Please take the podcast improvement and opinion poll here. Discussion thread is here. © 2019 Brian M. Watson

New interview episode on Friday! For now, enjoy an AH Aloud episode! I often hear people say that the Irish Potato Famine was more a genocide than a true famine. How accurate is this claim? Link to answer.

Today on AskHistorians Aloud, hillsonghoods answers the question : Is the concept of mental ilness a modern phenomenon? Link to question and answer: here.

In this episode of AskHistorians Aloud, we talk about conscription in the Ancient Greek world. Iphikrates answers "I'm a farmer in 500 BC in a typical Greek city-state. How often will I get called to mobilize for a battle?" Link to answer: here. Update: Someone has pointed out that a bit of the outro got recorded over the answer! Terribly sorry about that. Here is the missing text: How much of the time was wartime is an open question. But even during the Peloponnesian War, there were several uneventful years, in which Sparta did not call out the levy of the Peloponnesian League and Athens had only men from the Lists in various expeditionary forces. In such times you, as a regular farmer, might escape military duty altogether. And if your city-state wasn't a member of the League or a subject of the Athenian Empire, you might be fighting your own petty wars, but otherwise you'd be left mostly alone. It is anyone's guess how often you would actually be involved in a battle. Given all the factors I've mentioned, regardless of your city-state's foreign policy, I am of the opinion that the answer is probably closer to "once or twice in a lifetime" than "every year". However, given the lack of comprehensive source coverage, and the fact that historical accounts sometimes casually mention several battles in the course of a single campaign, my guess may well be wildly off the mark.

This week we are thrilled to have the host of EdHistory 101 podcast, and great AskHistorians flaired member UrAccountabilityBuddy, who is better known as Jenn Binis! In this episode we literally trace the entire history of education in America, diving deep into some weeds of discussion. I think you will enjoy it greatly. Please do go and subscribe to Ed History 101 wherever you get your podcasts and also please support us on patreon.com/askhistorians as it really does help to keep this show going Join us here for a discussion thread. © 2019 Brian M. Watson