History Talk, the history podcast from Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

On this episode of History Talk, host Patrick Potyondy interviews Jefferson Cowie, the James G. Stahlman Chair in the Department of History at Vanderbuilt University. Cowie has written extensively on American economic, racial, cultural, and political history, and is the author most recently of The Great Exception: The New Deal and the Limits of American Politics. In this interview, Cowie helps make sense of the 2016 presidential election by discussing the connections between the collapse of the New Deal exception, populism as the primary driving force of change in American politics, immigration as a key political pivot, the long-term movement of manufacturing jobs from place to place, and international trade like NAFTA and the TPP. He also explains why today's political climate looks a lot like the 1970s, not only in the electoral arena but in pop culture, too.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/jefferson-cowie-deindustrialization-trade-and-2016-presidential-election

On this episode of History Talk, guests Johanna Sellman, Gulsah Toronoglu, and Sabra Webber discuss the diverse and dynamic history of women in the Middle East and North Africa. Highlighting the region's great range of historical experiences, they question the idea that women's rights marks a divide between Islamic societies and the "West," explore the history of women's movements, and address the ways in which the flourishing of new media is transforming political and artistic expression throughout the Islamic world.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/beyond-veil-women-mideast-and-north-africa

As we near the centennial of the 19th Amendment—and with the possibility of America’s first female president on the horizon—History Talk takes a look at women’s role in American politics. Guests Kimberly Hamlin, Susan Hartmann, and David Steigerwald discuss the impact of women’s suffrage in the twentieth century, the emergence of female political candidates, and the cultural and institutional hurdles faced by women seeking public office.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/women-american-politics

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the world's fastest-growing and most diverse regions—and also one of the most misunderstood. On this episode of History Talk, scholars Ousman Kobo, Amy Pate, and Amanda Robinson discuss ethnicity, nationality, and religion in contemporary African societies. Putting the emergence of religious extremism in a broader perspective, these experts highlight regional variations, historical developments, and the social and economic trends that are rapidly changing the face of the continent.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/sub-saharan-africa

This month, John Mueller, Andrew Bacevich, and Peter Mansoor discuss the War on Terror (a.k.a. the war formerly known as the War on Terror), the US response to terrorism following 9/11. In separate interviews, our guests address the origins of the war on terror and how it has developed over time; how the campaign against terror fits into broader historical patterns of US statecraft; and how public perceptions of terrorism have changed (or haven't changed) since the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Join us for three wide-ranging discussions about some of the biggest questions facing American society and the international community in these uncertain times.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/war-terror

On this episode of History Talk, Patrick and Mark sit down with Donald Hempson, Lauren Henry, and Chris Otter to discuss the history of the European Union, an organization that has united Europeans in ways that were almost unthinkable a century ago. Today, the EU faces an unprecedented combination of challenges, including a lingering economic crisis, a massive influx of migrants, and the specter of terrorism. But as our guests tell us, the EU has proven to be surprisingly resilient and adaptable, constantly reinventing itself in the face of sweeping historic changes.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/eu-past-present-and-future

A highway bridge collapses in Minnesota, lead poisons the water of Flint, Michigan, and Americans are reminded of the fragile state of our basic infrastructure—the roads, pipes, power lines, and waterways that make modern life possible. On this episode of History Talk, panelists Steven Conn, Bernadette Hanlon, and Clay Howard discuss the history of public investment in American infrastructure, how it has reached such a perilous state, and what it can tell us about changing conceptions of the common good. In addition, host Patrick Potyondy interviews the executive director of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Tom Smith, who updates us on how our infrastructure is holding up today.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at:https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/americas-infrastructure-challenge

Reproduction: it's as essential to life as breathing (more, actually), yet the right to make decisions regarding one’s reproduction is among the most divisive issues of our time. On this episode, Patrick Potyondy and Mark Sokolsky sit down with Mytheli Sreenivas, Allison Norris, and Molly Farrell to discuss the past, present, and future of reproductive rights and reproductive justice. What are “reproductive rights,” and how have they evolved over time? When, how, and why did abortion become such a controversial topic in the United States? How have people managed their reproduction throughout history, and what makes our situation today different? Join us as we address these and other questions in this month's edition of History Talk.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/reproductive-rights-and-reproductive-justice

How and what we eat defines who we are. Food is both everywhere and nowhere, so normal that we rarely consider how radically the production and consumption of food have shaped not only human culture but the environment as well (and how radically the production of food has changed over time). Sample a little food history with historians Chris Otter, Helen Veit, and Sam White, who reveal that what we shove into our mouths has shaped our cultures, our bodies, and our planet. For more, visit origins.osu.edu

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/food-thought-diet-history

Delegates from across the globe will soon gather at the Paris Climate Change Conference, set to begin at the end of November. Sponsored by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, conference representatives will endeavor—not for the first time—to find ways to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system." On this episode of History Talk, three environmental historians, Sam White, John Brooke, and Nicholas Breyfogle, discuss past patterns of climate change—both recent and others from the deep planetary past—and what these historical processes of climate adaptation and survival tell us about humanity's prospects today.

An in-text version of this episode can be found at: https://origins.osu.edu/historytalk/climate-change-and-human-life