History writing

154 - The Philosophy of History: Ibn Khaldūn

Posted on 15 December 2013

The historian Ibn Khaldūn applies the methods of philosophy to understand the rise and fall of political regimes.

12 comments
312. Past Masters: Byzantine Historiography

Posted on 18 November 2018

The larger meaning of history in the chronicles written by Michael Psellos, Michael Attaleiates, Anna Komnene, and Niketas Choniates.

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313. Queen of the Sciences: Anna Komnene and her Circle

Posted on 2 December 2018

Princess Anna Komnene makes good use of her political retirement by writing her Alexiad and gathering a circle of scholars to write commentaries on Aristotle.

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321. Judith Herrin on Byzantium and Islam

Posted on 24 March 2019

Historian Judith Herrin joins us to talk about competition and mutual influence between Islam and Byzantium.

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349. No More Mr Nice Guy: Machiavelli

Posted on 17 May 2020

Machiavelli’s seminal work of political advice, The Prince, tells the ruler how to be strong like a lion and cunning like a fox.

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350. The Sentence: Machiavelli on Republicanism

Posted on 31 May 2020

Peter celebrates reaching 350 episodes by explaining a single sentence in Machiavelli's "Discourses."

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351. Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli

Posted on 14 June 2020

Leading Machiavelli scholar Quentin Skinner joins Peter to discuss morality, history, and religion in the Prince and the Discourses.

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352. The Teacher of Our Actions: Renaissance Historiography

Posted on 28 June 2020

Bruni, Poggio, Machiavelli, and Guicciardini explore political ideas and historical method in works on Roman and Italian history.

4 comments
69. The Best We Have: The American Negro Academy

Posted on 7 February 2021

The ANA unites leading African American scholars of the early 20th century, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, William Ferris, Archibald Grimké, and Kelly Miller (pictured).

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70. Tommy Curry on the Early 20th Century

Posted on 21 February 2021

We chat with Tommy Curry about African-American thought between the turn of the century and the Harlem Renaissance.

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81. Making History: Carter G. Woodson

Posted on 25 July 2021

Pioneering historian Carter G. Woodson argues for a new approach to education and economic uplift.

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90. Move Fast and Break Things: C.L.R. James

Posted on 26 December 2021

The Trinidadian historian and cultural critic C.L.R. James applies Marxist analysis to the Haitian Revolution, American cinema, and Shakespeare.

6 comments
91. Massa Day Done: Oliver Cox and Eric Williams

Posted on 9 January 2022

Two Trinidadian political thinkers: sociologist Oliver Cox analyzes the nature of racial prejudice, and historian Eric Williams connects capitalism to slavery.

3 comments
409. One to Rule Them All: Jean Bodin

Posted on 4 December 2022

The polymath Jean Bodin produces a pioneering theory of political sovereignty along the way to defending the absolute power of the French king.

5 comments
411. Pen Pals: Later French Humanism

Posted on 1 January 2023

Joseph Scaliger, Isaac Casaubon, and Guillaume du Vair grapple with history and the events of their own day.

1 comments