History for the Future

Through interviews with historians and journalists, History for the Future explores the historical roots of contemporary social issues and policies, often revealing the hidden assumptions and political choices defining the present.

By Kevin C. Brown | Economy, Unemployment
Richard D. Wolff, a professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, discusses the economic crisis. More
By Kevin C. Brown | Corporate influence, History
Anothropologist Roger Rouse discusses the popular Disney film series, "Pirates of the Caribbean," as a way to answer the question, “How do major media corporations use images of piracy as they work to shape the ways we engage the world?” More
By Kevin C. Brown | Deregulation, Economy, Labor
Les Leopold discusses the state of the economy, the job crisis, and financial deregulation, while raising questions about the adequacy of the labor movement and the left's response to these developments. More
By Kevin C. Brown | History, Medicine, Open government
Historian Susan Reverby discusses her recent discovery that the U.S. Public Health Service, as part of a study on the transmission of syphilis, intentionally infected nearly 700 people with the disease in Guatemala during the late 1940s. More
By Kevin C. Brown | History, Media
Peter Richardson discusses his book, "A Bomb in Every Issue: How the Short, Unruly Life of Ramparts Magazine Changed America." Richardson’s study follows the birth, life, and death of this San Francisco magazine that in the 1960s and 1970s helped to revive American muckracking journalism. More
By Kevin C. Brown | History, Race
Historian Nell Irvin Painter is the author of "The History of White People," which traces the origin of a white racial identity in world history, with particular attention to the role the United States played in solidifying “whiteness.” More

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