The Askhistorians Podcast

In this Conference Special, Morgan (u/Aquatermain) speaks to Claire Aubin about her study of Holocaust perpetrators immigrating to the US, the emotional strain of studying a horrific period of history, and the work of the Emotionally Demanding Histories Group.

In this episode, Morgan Lewin talks with /u/Starwarsnerd222 about the ways that the origins of the First World War are discussed in textbooks aimed at students of international secondary school curricula. What do they do well? What do they not? How far do they adhere to contemporary historiography, and how far do they hold onto older tropes? And where do we go from here? Find out all this and more in this episode. 58 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with Brynn Derwen, whose research into the history of footwraps includes wearing them most days! Derwen talks about why and how footwraps were used in many cultures around the world, particularly in militaries, and offers some pointers for how to try them yourself!

Tyler Alderson talks to Laura Castro-Royo about her research on Jinn, the source of Hollywood's "genie" trope. She also talks about presenting history in non-traditional spaces, including streaming on Twitch as Las Plumas De Simurgh.

In this episode, /u/Gankom talks with Dr. Lauren Lefty, Dr. Andrew Feffer, and /u/Kugelfang52 about the assault on the anti-racism programs of New York City teachers between 1930 and 1960. Notably, these efforts, often led by communist teachers, were opposed not only by conservative educators, but by liberal groups as well. The ultimate destruction of these efforts wrecked community building projects, removed or coerced into silence some of the system's most outspoken anti-racist educators. 77 minutes. Discussion on this episode can be found here.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/starwarsnerd222 about great power politics of the late nineteenth century, focussing on British foreign policy from the end of the Crimean War in 1856 to the eve of the First World War in 1914. How did British officials and diplomats react to changing world circumstances, if they did at all? What sorts of crises did they respond to, or not depending on the situation? Find out all this and more on this fortnight's episode. 67 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/Lubyak about the Second Sino-Japanese War, discussing its background, its wider context, and the question of why Imperial Japan was unsuccessful in achieving its aims. 32 mins.      

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/Iphikrates about the beginnings of academic military history in 19th century Prussia. Why, in a state so strongly associated with its military traditions, was the academic study of military history so heavily opposed both from the academy and from the army? How did the field emerge despite this opposition? Who were the big names? What sorts of controversies were fought over? Find out all this and more on this fortnight's AskHistorians Podcast. 60 mins.

In this episode, /u/Kugelfang52 talks with /u/Toldinstone about various topics of interest from his upcoming book on Greek and Roman society, Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants. Included are the following questions: "Did they believe in monsters, ghosts, and/or aliens?" "Why are so many of their statues naked?" "Why didn't the Greeks or Romans wear pants?"  "What were the greatest delicacies?" "What happened to the city of Rome after the empire collapsed?" 43 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/Hergrim about women in medieval warfare, and at how their actual roles diverged from those prescribed by the authorities of the day and many today imagine them. Discussed are how women fought in combat, performed critical supporting roles for armies, and indeed led them in war; also considered are how warfare affected civilian women and how women were involved in the reading and writing of military theory. 34 mins.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with /u/IlluminatiRex about veterans of the First World War who, either before or after the war, lived in one town in Connecticut, and about how the local histories of small towns fit into the history of the wider world. 18 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with Dr. Jacob Baum, Dr. Sydnor Roy, and John T Conrad about their project translating Adam Contzen's Ten Books of Politics. The Ten Books has never been translated out of its seventeenth-century neo-Latin, and the project is one that will be open to the public who wish to provide commentary, advice, or simply practice with untranslated Latin, as they continue to build a corpus of translation. 64 mins.

Morgan Lewin and Tyler Alderson discuss the popular urban legend that classical music composer Ludwig van Beethoven was actually Black. While the answer is a definitive "no," the reasons for this myth's enduring popularity say a lot about race, class, and the prestige attached to classical music. 39 mins.

Tyler Alderson talks with the authors of the book We Are The Land: A History of Native California about the struggles and triumphs of indigenous people, and what lies ahead. Also discussed is the process of writing a wide-ranging history, and how to approach commonly-told narratives from a different perspective, upending stereotypes and generalizations. 49 min.

In this episode, /u/EnclavedMicrostate talks with Seb Lewin ( /u/aquatermain ) about the circumstances surrounding the May Revolution of 1810 against Spain, and how the road to independence started for the United Provinces of Río de la Plata and the subsequent Republic of Argentina.

In this episode, Jess Munoz talks to u/Aquatermain about his new album of Catalan art songs. Munoz discusses the history of the Catalan language and its suppression, and how you learn to sing in a language that you don't speak. More information about Visca L'Amor can be found on Jess' website at www.jessmunoz.com

In this episode, Morgan Lewin (/u/aquatermain) talks to Avan (/u/Starwarsnerd222) about the geopolitical causes of the First World War. 29 mins.

In this episode, Dr Darren Layne (u/Funkyplaid) talks to u/Aquatermain about the 275th anniversary of the battle of Culloden and the end of the Jacobite uprising. Topics include Darren's work on the digital history of Jacobitism, the myth and reality of the Jacobite uprising, and why the battle of Culloden remains so compelling for so many people.

In this episode, u/Lubyak and u/Kugelfang52 discuss Lubyak's recent answer on the Japanese-German alliance

Tyler Alderson talks to Robert C Ritchie, author of The Lure of the Beach, about the rise of the beach resort. Class, health, and (of course!) sex all play a part in the story of our fascination with the sandy shoreline. 57 mins.