Can Thucydides Teach Us Why We Go to War?
A contemporary scholar uses the ancient Greek historian to explain the 1968 Pueblo Crisis in North Korea.
These Posters from Mao’s China Taught Public Health Awareness
A series of reforms known as the Patriotic Health Campaign brought colorful posters depicting good hygiene and workplace safety practices.
Chivalric Romance, Meet Gunpowder Reality
The manly knight wouldn't have lasted a day in sixteenth-century combat. So why was he so popular as a literary figure at the time?
How Thomas Mann Turned against the German Right
The best-selling author supported the Kaiser during World War I. What made him change his mind about politics later?
The “Deviant” African Genders That Colonialism Condemned
European travellers and anthropologists found that their gendered worldview didn’t easily map onto the societies they encountered.
The Global History of Labor and Race: Foundations and Key Concepts
How have workers around the world sought to change their conditions, and how have racial divisions affected their efforts?
The Unlikely Role of Kitchens in Occupied Japan
After World War II, "occupationaries" tried to spread American-style domesticity to Japanese women.
Black Conquistadors and Black Maroons
Some formerly enslaved Blacks and freedmen accompanied the Spanish invaders; others formed their own communities.
Girls and Dolls in the Roman Empire
Analyzing the dolls of elite girls shows that playthings reinforced gendered expectations but also allowed for imaginative play.
Why Suicide Was a Sin in Medieval Europe
Although there were historical and scriptural precedents for honorable suicide, Christian theology saw it much differently.