Making of a Historian

Latest Episodes:

Brent S. Sirota on Church History and the End of the World Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

In this episode I talk with Professor Brent Sirota about church history in the long 18th century. People have portrayed religion in the long 18th century as a little boring and staid. In the 17th century you had a civil war over religion in Britain. In the 19th century you had evangelicals, Darwin, and the Oxford Movement. But in the 18th century you have almost a cease fire. Professor Sirota's work looks at the process of how that ceasefire came about, and how it was less about religious toleration and more about a political process. In talking about this we end up talking a bit about the end of the world, and why a lot of people in America now think its coming soon. Check out our website at historian.live for book lists, and a link to our Patreon!

Immunocapital and Yellow Fever with Prof Kathryn Olivarius (Historians in the Time of COVID 4) Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

In this episode I talk with Stanford Professor Kathryn Olivarius about her research on Yellow Fever in antebellum New Orleans. Yellow Fever was bad. It killed around half of all the people who caught it. Why then did young immigrants to New Orleans seeking to make their fortune sometimes willingly infect themselves with the disease? Olivarius’ research shows that immunity to Yellow Fever became a kind of human capital. People who could demonstrate that they were ‘acclimated’ to Yellow Fever were considered bona fide citizens of the Yellow Fever Zone. Everyone else was just a tourist. If you survived, then it was evidence of your grace—your worthiness in the face of risk—a worthiness that translated to success in the cut-throat world of slave racial capital. It’s a great conversation, one that made me think about the current debate about social distancing and COVID in a brand new way. Thanks to number one listener John Handel for recommending Olivarius’ work to me! Check out Olivarius’ article Immunity, Capital, and Power in Antebellum New Orleans in the AHR. And keep your eye out for her book out next year Necropolis: Disease Power and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom.

The Time of Monsters With Craig Johnson (Historians in the Time of COVID Episode 3) May 12, 2020

Show notes

If you like the show, give us money on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/makingofahistorian In this episode, I sit down with Craig Johnson, “the most returningest” guest in the history of this podcast. I ask him to talk about historical parallels to our current quarantine, and the conversation quickly goes in a direction I didn’t expect. Listen! It’s probably the most political episode we’ve done yet. You can find Craig on Twitter @HistOfTheRight. if you want to hear more from Craig (and you should), listen to his podcast, Fifteen Minutes of Fascism.

Historians In The Time of COVID: Three Starts To The USA with Kyle Jackson May 06, 2020

Show notes

If you like the show can now support us on Patreon! (patreon.com/makingofahistorian) This week we have returning guest Kyle Jackson—who last came on to tell us about the Panama Canal. Today he’s coming on to practice his orals. I ask him to tell us to give us three different dates when we could start the beginning of US history. It’s a great discussion. You’ll learn a lot. Both about US history, and also about how historians think about history. Can’t get enough of Kyle? (We can’t.) In his other life he’s a producer / rapper dubbed Nahvocado. You can find him on his Insta @nahvocado.

Historians In The Time Of COVID-19: Decolonization with Varsha Venkatasubramanian Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

We're inaugurating a new podcast interview series during this weird time of isolation with recurring guest, Varsha Venkatasubramanian. Varsha is studying for her comprehensive exams in like TWO WEEKS and she was gracious enough to join us to talk about what it's like to read a thousand books when you don't have library access. We discuss the history of decolonization, which Varsha masterfully guides us from the ideological origins in the American Revolution, through the Haitian Revolution, to Woodrow Wilson's 14 points, to Indian independence. Probably the most educational and fact-dense interview I've ever done!

Work And Play 12: Sex Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

This is the last (or next-to-last!) episode in the series, and we talk about something that can be both work AND play: sex. We look at sex within marriage, masturbation, and prostitution, paying special attention to prostitution as a form of lower-classed labor.

Work And Play 11: Sports Apr 13, 2020

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Work And Play 11: Sports by Making of a Historian

Work And Play 10: Beer Apr 06, 2020

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This episode, we talk about beer. Beer isn’t just an enjoyable beverage. You’ll learn: How beer started off as part of a complete breakfast How capitalist brewers destroyed the way of life of the village alewife How IPA became cool for 19th century hipsters And more! Check out show notes at historian.live and we now have a Patreon at patreon.com/makingofahistorian

Work And Play 9: Clubs Apr 03, 2020

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In this episode, I talk about clubs, the topic of my dissertation research.

Work And Play 8: The Problem of Child Unemployment Mar 29, 2020

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Work And Play 8: The Problem of Child Unemployment by Making of a Historian