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activism

The Author’s Corner with Rose Miron

Rachel Petroziello   |  March 24, 2025

Rose Miron is Vice President of Research and Education at the Newberry Library. This interview is based on her new book, Indigenous Archival Activism: Mohican Interventions in Public History and Memory (University of Minnesota Press, 2024). JF: What led you to […]

The Author’s Corner with Jonathan Shandell

Rachel Petroziello   |  February 28, 2025

Jonathan Shandell is Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at Arcadia University. This interview is based on his new book, Readying the Revolution: African American Theater and Performance from Post-World War II to the Black Arts Movement (University of Michigan Press, […]

“What would it take for public intellectuals to serve as beacons of understanding rather than mere opinion leaders?”

John Fea   |  February 21, 2025

University of Texas historian Steven Mintz writes: “Imagine a public discourse where intellectuals don’t just take sides but challenge the assumptions underlying each perspective. He asks “what would it take for public intellectuals to serve as beacons of understanding rather […]

The Author’s Corner with Gregg L. Michel

Rachel Petroziello   |  January 17, 2025

Gregg L. Michel is Professor of History and Assistant Department Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio. This interview is based on his new book, Spying on Students: The FBI, Red Squads, and Student Activists in the 1960s […]

The Author’s Corner with Jason S. Lantzer

Rachel Petroziello   |  December 27, 2024

Jason S. Lantzer is Assistant Director of the Butler University Honors Program. This interview is based on his new book, “Prohibition Is Here to Stay”: The Reverend Edward S. Shumaker and the Dry Crusade in America (University of Notre Dame […]

The Author’s Corner with Patrick Parr

Rachel Petroziello   |  December 26, 2024

Patrick Parr is Professor of English at Lakeland University Japan. This interview is based on his new book, Malcolm Before X (University of Massachusetts Press, 2024). JF: What led you to write Malcolm Before X? PP: Back in 2012, I’d […]

The Author’s Corner with Matthias AndrĂ© Voigt

Rachel Petroziello   |  October 30, 2024

Matthias AndrĂ© Voigt is Part-Time Lecturer in Modern American History at Free University Berlin. This interview is based on his new book, Reinventing the Warrior: Masculinity in the American Indian Movement, 1968-1973 (University Press of Kansas, 2024). JF: What led […]

The Author’s Corner with Kenneth S. Sacks

Rachel Petroziello   |  October 18, 2024

Kenneth S. Sacks is Professor of History and Classics at Brown University. This interview is based on his new book, Emerson’s Civil Wars: Spirit and Society in the Age of Abolition (Cambridge University Press, 2024). JF: What led you to […]

The Author’s Corner with Oliver A. Rosales

Rachel Petroziello   |  September 4, 2024

Oliver A. Rosales is Professor of History at Bakersfield College. This interview is based on his new book, Civil Rights in Bakersfield: Segregation and Multiracial Activism in the Central Valley (University of Texas Press, 2024). JF: What led you to […]

The Author’s Corner with Jesse Chanin

Rachel Petroziello   |  July 2, 2024

Jesse Chanin is a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University’s Coalition for Compassionate Schools. This interview is based on her new book, Building Power, Breaking Power: The United Teachers of New Orleans, 1965-2008 (University of North Carolina Press, 2024). JF: What […]

The Author’s Corner with Elizabeth Garner Masarik

Rachel Petroziello   |  June 27, 2024

Elizabeth Garner Masarik is Assistant Professor of History at the State University of New York, Brockport. This interview is based on her new book, The Sentimental State: How Women-Led Reform Built the American Welfare State (University of Georgia Press, 2024). […]

Liberal Christians are more politically active than conservative Christians

John Fea   |  March 13, 2024

Here is a taste of Ryan Burge’s recent study (bold type is his, not mine): Clearly, the conclusion that emerges here is that liberal Christians are more politically active. In the case of attending political meetings, such as school board or […]

The Author’s Corner with Ralph Young

Rachel Petroziello   |  March 6, 2024

Ralph Young is Professor of Instruction in History at Temple University. This interview is based on his new book, American Patriots: A Short History of Dissent (NYU Press, 2024). JF: What led you to write American Patriots? RY: What inspired […]

Steven Mintz asks: “Can you be an activist and a serious scholar?”

John Fea   |  November 27, 2023

Here is a taste of his piece at Insider Higher Ed: There is an important space where academia and activism intersect. “Public scholarship” and “engaged scholarship” can be invaluable in addressing social, political, and environmental issues. These works can provide rigorous […]

Does activism lead to bad writing?

John Fea   |  November 18, 2023

George Packer of The Atlantic thinks so. Here is a taste of his recent piece: It seems natural for creative people to speak out at a time of crisis. We look to them for words and images that provide clarity […]

The Author’s Corner with Lauren Lassabe Shepherd

Rachel Petroziello   |  September 20, 2023

Lauren Lassabe Shepherd is an instructor at the University of New Orleans and an IUPUI-SUSIH Community Scholar. This interview is based on her new book, Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America (University of North […]

Vincent Lloyd: It is time “to interrogate the received wisdom that says every activist cause needs an enemy to demonize.”

John Fea   |  August 21, 2023

Some of you may remember Vincent Lloyd‘s essay, “A Black Professor Trapped in Anti-Racist Hell.“ In a recent piece at Plough, the Villanova Africana studies and theology professor tells the story of the students at Swarthmore College who demonized college […]

Larry Schweikart: activist historian

John Fea   |  September 17, 2022

Back in 2002 I met Larry Schweikart. He was a professor of history at the University of Dayton. I was interviewing for a job in the history department at the University of Dayton. He may have even been on the […]

The Author’s Corner with Melissa Ford

Rachel Petroziello   |  June 2, 2022

Melissa Ford is Assistant Professor of History at Slippery Rock University. This interview is based on her new book, A Brick and a Bible: Black Women’s Radical Activism in the Midwest during the Great Depression (Southern Illinois University Press, 2022). […]

The Author’s Corner with Josiah Rector

Rachel Petroziello   |  May 23, 2022

Josiah Rector is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Houston. This interview is based on his new book, Toxic Debt: An Environmental Justice History of Detroit (University of North Carolina Press, 2022). JF: What led you to ​write […]

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