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identity

How the Irish became White. Or why Pete Hegseth likes St. Patrick Day and not Black History Month

John Fea   |  March 17, 2025

Over the San Antonio Express-News, Sig Christensen asks why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put an end to Black History Month and other celebrations of identity in the military, but gave a pass to St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a fair question. […]

The Author’s Corner with Michael O’Malley

Rachel Petroziello   |  December 23, 2024

Michael O’Malley is Professor of History at George Mason University. This interview is based on his new book, The Color of Family: History, Race, and the Politics of Ancestry (University of Chicago Press, 2024). JF: What led you to write […]

The Author’s Corner with Rebecca L. Davis

Rachel Petroziello   |  October 4, 2024

Rebecca L. Davis is Miller Family Early Career Professor of History and Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware. This interview is based on her new book, Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and […]

The Author’s Corner with Elizabeth Kalbfleisch

Rachel Petroziello   |  March 19, 2024

Elizabeth Kalbfleisch is Associate Professor of English at Southern Connecticut State University. This interview is based on her new book, Making the Radical University: Identity and Politics on the American College Campus, 1966–1991 (University of Massachusetts Press, 2024). JF: What led […]

“Don’t let right-wing culture warriors obscure the fact that some ideas behind this progressive ideology have genuine problems.”

John Fea   |  September 26, 2023

Last week we called your attention to Yascha Mounk’s new book The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time. Today we want to call your attention to a Mounk piece at The Atlantic based on the […]

The Author’s Corner with Mairin Odle

Rachel Petroziello   |  August 18, 2023

Mairin Odle is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in American Studies at the University of Alabama. This interview is based on her book, Under the Skin: Tattoos, Scalps, and the Contested Language of Bodies in Early America (University […]

Randall Balmer: “Don’t look for pronouns on my email signature”

John Fea   |  May 31, 2023

The Dartmouth College historian of American religion weighs in on the pronouns debate. Here is a taste of Balmer’s piece at the Santa Fe New Mexican: It’s all the rage these days, especially in academic circles, to specify pronouns — […]

The Author’s Corner with Alison Bell

Rachel Petroziello   |  March 10, 2023

Alison Bell is Professor of Anthropology at Washington and Lee University. This interview is based on her new book, The Vital Dead: Making Meaning, Identity, and Community through Cemeteries (University of Tennessee Press, 2023). JF: What led you to write The Vital Dead? […]

The Author’s Corner with Brad R. Clampitt

Rachel Petroziello   |  July 15, 2022

Brad R. Clampitt is Professor of History at East Central University. This interview is based on his new book, Lost Causes: Confederate Demobilization and the Making of Veteran Identity (LSU Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write Lost Causes? […]

The Author’s Corner with Susan J. Pearson

Rachel Petroziello   |  January 17, 2022

Susan J. Pearson is Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University. This interview is based on her new book, The Birth Certificate: An American History (The University of North Carolina Press, 2021). JF: What led you to write The Birth […]