In this episode we hear from Martha Jones, professor of history and of Afroamerican and African studies at the university of Michigan, as well as director of the Michigan Law Program in Race, Law, and History. Professor Jones discusses a book she recently co-edited, Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women. We also explore the significance of that work in light of the current political situation in America, especially given the recent election of Donald Trump to the presidency.

This interview was recorded in October, 2016.

In this episode we hear from Martha Jones, professor of history and of Afroamerican and African studies at the university of Michigan, as well as director of the Michigan Law Program in Race, Law, and History. Professor Jones discusses a book she recently co-edited, Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women. We also explore the significance of that work in light of the current political situation in America, especially given the recent election of Donald Trump to the presidency.

This interview was recorded in October, 2016.

In this episode, Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor and publisher of Jacobin Magazine, talks about the short history of his publication and how it has thus far tried to differentiate itself from other magazines of liberal-left opinion. He also discusses the current election and explores the possible reasons for, and implications of, the rise of Sanders on the left and Trump on the right. Finally, Sunkara considers the near future of the American left.

This interview was recorded on October 27, 2016.

In this episode, Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor and publisher of Jacobin Magazine, talks about the short history of his publication and how it has thus far tried to differentiate itself from other magazines of liberal-left opinion. He also discusses the current election and explores the possible reasons for, and implications of, the rise of Sanders on the left and Trump on the right. Finally, Sunkara considers the near future of the American left.

This interview was recorded on October 27, 2016.

Most Americas seem to agree that our country is facing a kind of political and ideological realignment. This state of affairs has conservatives and progressives looking to the future, but also to the past—to the thinkers and activists both left and right who shaped their respective traditions. An important question to ask is whether we can, or should, resurrect the ideas of the past and apply them today? But then, we should also ask whether we can learn from the mistakes and the faults of past thinkers too.

Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center, asks these questions about a major conservative thinker under whom he studied as a graduate student in history at the University of Michigan: the intellectual historian Stephen Tonsor. Even in the 80s, Tonsor seemed out of place as a conservative intellectual in a mostly liberal public university. But he found community among conservative thinkers of the day: William F Buckley and Russel Kirk, for instance. Gleaves explores Tonsor’s effect on American conservatism from the 60s to the 80s; he also discusses the many differences between the form of conservatism that Tonsor embraced, and the sorts of conservatism that are prominent today.

This interview was recorded on October 25, 2016.

Most Americas seem to agree that our country is facing a kind of political and ideological realignment. This state of affairs has conservatives and progressives looking to the future, but also to the past—to the thinkers and activists both left and right who shaped their respective traditions. An important question to ask is whether we can, or should, resurrect the ideas of the past and apply them today? But then, we should also ask whether we can learn from the mistakes and the faults of past thinkers too.

Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center, asks these questions about a major conservative thinker under whom he studied as a graduate student in history at the University of Michigan: the intellectual historian Stephen Tonsor. Even in the 80s, Tonsor seemed out of place as a conservative intellectual in a mostly liberal public university. But he found community among conservative thinkers of the day: William F Buckley and Russel Kirk, for instance. Gleaves explores Tonsor’s effect on American conservatism from the 60s to the 80s; he also discusses the many differences between the form of conservatism that Tonsor embraced, and the sorts of conservatism that are prominent today.

This interview was recorded on October 25, 2016.

In the 1950s, American conservatives felt like they were on the ropes: faced with a liberal consensus at home and radical ideologies abroad, conservatives were fractured, broken, and, they thought, largely voiceless. According to historian Bradley J. Birzer, it took the publication of one book, Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, to help change the tide. Hailed by political thinkers and writers on the right, such as William F. Buckley, the book set out certain first principles for postwar conservatives, chief among them belief in a transcendent order, trust in the rule of law and in the link between property and freedom, and, importantly, a conviction that change may not always be good.

Kirk was a major thinker in the postwar era, but Birzer points out, his influence has waned. Anyone looking for prescriptions about the best tax policy, or defenses of someone like Trump, won’t find them in Kirk. Birzer discusses what this might mean for the future of the American Right, and whether conservatives in the coming years might take another look at Russell Kirk.

This interview was recorded on October 18, 2016.

In the 1950s, American conservatives felt like they were on the ropes: faced with a liberal consensus at home and radical ideologies abroad, conservatives were fractured, broken, and, they thought, largely voiceless. According to historian Bradley J. Birzer, it took the publication of one book, Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, to help change the tide. Hailed by political thinkers and writers on the right, such as William F. Buckley, the book set out certain first principles for postwar conservatives, chief among them belief in a transcendent order, trust in the rule of law and in the link between property and freedom, and, importantly, a conviction that change may not always be good.

Kirk was a major thinker in the postwar era, but Birzer points out, his influence has waned. Anyone looking for prescriptions about the best tax policy, or defenses of someone like Trump, won’t find them in Kirk. Birzer discusses what this might mean for the future of the American Right, and whether conservatives in the coming years might take another look at Russell Kirk.

This interview was recorded on October 18, 2016.

Andrew Hartman, author of A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, joined us on October 6, 2016 to discuss the major political shifts of the 60s, the culture wars of the 80s, and the related political and cultural collisions today. We talk about debates over race, gender, religion, economics, and higher education. We also consider what the candidacies of Trump and Clinton might mean for the near-future of American culture and politics, and whether the rise of Sanders points to a split in the Democratic party that will have consequences well beyond this election season.

Andrew Hartman, author of A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, joined us on October 6, 2016 to discuss the major political shifts of the 60s, the culture wars of the 80s, and the related political and cultural collisions today. We talk about debates over race, gender, religion, economics, and higher education. We also consider what the candidacies of Trump and Clinton might mean for the near-future of American culture and politics, and whether the rise of Sanders points to a split in the Democratic party that will have consequences well beyond this election season.