The Prague Spring as Seen from the United States
By William J. Connell, LaMotta Chair and Professor of History, Seton Hall University
The Prague Spring had resonances in the United States that were quite different from those in Europe.
Easter 1916 Remembered
Professor Dermot Quinn reflects on the character and legacy of the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin on the centenary on the event.
WHOSE MISFORTUNE?
MALHEUR AND AMERICA’S HISTORY OF REGIONAL AND RACIAL CONFLICT
By Sean P. Harvey
The last of the armed protesters left the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, near Burns, Oregon, on Thursday, February 11, 2016, after more than a month-long occupation. Throughout the standoff, commentators debated the occupiers’ motives, tactics, and endgame. Too few sought to understand the incident in light of the long sweep of U.S. history. read more
Technologies of Truth: Propaganda, Ideology and the Modern State.”
On January 22, 2016 the Department of History will host the symposium “Technologies of Truth: Propaganda, Ideology and the Modern State.” The event is open to the public. A description and program can be found in this post. Those interested in attending should contact Dr Larry Greene at Larry.Greene@shu.edu.
Playthings from the Past
By Sara Fieldston, Assistant Professor of History, Seton Hall University
As the new year begins, children across America are enjoying their holiday loot. Ever wonder what kinds of playthings kids from bygone times might have expected to find under their trees? Sara Fieldston, the newest member of the Seton Hall History Department, takes us on a roundup of interesting historical toys that shed light on the American past.
Paul Robeson’s Tragic Love of Russia by Maxim Matusevich, Associate Professor of History, Seton Hall University Paul Robeson thought his good friend, the poet Itzik Feffer, looked jittery when he expressed his inability to communicate freely through hand gestures. The hotel room, he indicated, was bugged. How was he doing? “Fine,” shrugged Feffer and slowly… Continue Reading »
Several years ago, controversy erupted over the treatment of the famous Haymarket riot of 1886 and subsequent trial resulting in the conviction and hanging of a group of anarchists. Dr. Timothy Meller-Kruse, a labor historian at Ball State University, had completed a comprehensive reappraisal of the Haymarket events, based on a close examination of primary documents, but when he tried to correct the Wikipedia entry on the topic based on his findings, he found his efforts firmly rebuffed by the Wikipedia editors. In this piece, Nathaniel Knight reviews the controversy and considers the underlying issues regarding historical methodology and understandings of historical truth.
By Dermot Quinn, Professor of History, Seton Hall University
When the church historian Owen Chadwick died earlier this year at the age of 99, still writing almost to the end, still with ideas to share, still pondering the historical and moral lessons of a lifetime, he seemed a figure from an earlier, more heroic age of Christian scholarship. His life had been laden with honors – at various times was Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Regius Professor of History at the same university, the Ford and Herbert Hensley Henson lecturer at Oxford, the Gifford lecturer at Edinburgh, a Fellow of the British Academy, a member of the Order of Merit – but these badges somehow fail to capture the full measure of the man. He conferred dignity on them, not they on him.
By Williamjames Hoffer, Professor of History, Seton Hall University
The television show “Game of Thrones” (GoT) and the books upon which it is based, the “A Song of Ice and Fire” (ASOIAF) series by George R. R. Martin (GRRM), have millions of fans around the world and for good reason: It is a fascinating story full of twists and turns, mature themes, intriguing characters, and, of course, dragons.
Welcome to Past in Present, the Seton Hall University Department of History blog. The Department will be using this space to publicize events, post announcements, and, most of all, to provide its faculty and guests a space to highlight their research interests and draw connections to current trends and events. Stay tuned for more!
