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.
Was “Khaki Fever” a Moral Panic over Women’s Sexuality?
At the start of World War I, young working-class women swooned for men in uniform, leading middle-class women to form patrols to police public morals.
What Was the Zanj Rebellion?
A remarkable episode of Medieval Islamic history that often goes untold.