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UnTextbooked | A history podcast for the future — History
UnTextbooked | A history podcast for the future

UnTextbooked is brought to you by teen change-makers who are looking for answers to big questions. Have you ever wondered if protests really can save lives, why assimilation required Native American kids to attend boarding schools, how Black-led organizations for mutual aid began, how the fear of communism led the United States to plan the overthrows of many leaders in Latin America, or why Brazilian cars run on sugar? Or maybe you’ve questioned when Asian Americans will stop being seen as “perpetual foreigners,” how African heritage influences Black activism, or what resilience looks like for Iranian women?

Your textbooks probably didn’t teach you how American Jews were an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement, if history’s greatest leaders were generalists or specialists, how a Black teenager and his young lawyer changed America’s criminal justice system, or if either the US or the USSR won the Cold War. Did you know some of the forgotten BIPOC women of history were spying in aid of the French Resistance, that there’s more to being a leader than going down with your battleship, or that there is a long history of gender expression in Native American cultures that goes beyond the male/female binary? Listen in as we interview famous authors and historians who have the answers.

Context is the key to understanding topics like British imperialism, segregation, racism, criminal justice, identifying as non-binary and so much more. These intergenerational conversations bring the full power of history to you with the depth and vividness that most textbooks lack. Real history, to help you find answers to your big questions. UnTextbooked makes history unboring forever.

Copyright: © Copyright 2020-2023 The History Co:Lab. All Rights Reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Did anyone win the Cold War? Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

The Cold War was a decades-long military conflict that dominated geopolitics in the latter half of the 20th century. And as Americans, we often see it framed as a binary conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union; one that ended around the time the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

But historian Odd Arne Westad, author of The Global Cold War, thinks that version of the story is incomplete. The US and USSR never engaged in direct combat with one another, so the Cold War was fought indirectly via proxy wars and embargoes, and many Third World countries are still dealing with the effects.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Anya Dua interviews Dr. Westad about the global impacts of the Cold War, more than thirty years after it ended.

Book: The Global Cold War

Guest: Dr. Odd Arne Westad, Professor of history at Yale University

Producer: Anya Dua

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

Did segregation in America ever really end? Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

The United States is still reckoning with its history of racism. For a century after slavery ended, US businesses, banks, schools, and neighborhoods were segregated by race. It took a series of Supreme Court cases and acts of Congress to legally ban discrimination based on race, but discrimination isn’t just a switch that can be turned from “on” to “off.” The legacy of these unfair laws still affect Black Americans today.

One example of this is is a method of housing discrimination called “redlining”. It refers to the practice of banks and federal agencies denying loans for homes in neighborhoods deemed too “high risk”, which was often code for “not white.” This made it harder for Black Americans to buy homes, which made it harder to accrue generational wealth. As a result, Black Americans are more likely to live in neighborhoods with lower property values. And in a country where public schools are funded by property taxes, this is a difficult cycle to break. In effect, the United States is still segregated, but unofficially.

Richard Rothstein has been studying this disparity for a long time. He wrote about it in his book The Color of Law. On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Jonathan Dabel interviews Mr. Rothstein about the lasting effects of redlining on Black Americans.

Book: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

Guest: Richard Rothstein, PhD, Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a Senior Fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Producer: Jonathan Dabel

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

When will Asian Americans stop being seen as "perpetual foreigners"? Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

There is a fundamental duality in how Asian Americans are perceived in our country. They’ve at times been held up as the “model minority”, affirming this idea that the American Dream is alive and well if only immigrants could work harder. At other times they’ve been regarded as threatening and perpetually foreign. A recent example of this is the dramatic rise in anti-Asian violence in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Victor Ye interviews Dr. Erika Lee, author of The Making of Asian America: A History. They discuss the history of Asians in America and why stereotypes from hundreds of years ago still persist today.

Book: The Making of Asian America: A History

Guest: Erika Lee, PhD, History Professor at the University of Minnesota

Producer: Victor Ye

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

What does American cuisine tell us about the United States? Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

American food is unlike anything else in the world. And it goes a lot deeper than hamburgers and pizza. The thing that makes American food special is the stunning variety of options and how accessible it is to the average consumer. Also some regional American dishes that are impossible to find anywhere else on the planet

Dr. Paul Freedman is a historian who thinks that all of these factors--standardization, variety, and regionality--can tell us a lot about American culture and identity.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Grace Davis interviews Dr. Freedman about his book American Cuisine: and How it Got This Way.

Book: American Cuisine: and How it Got This Way

Guest: Dr. Paul Freedman, Professor of History at Yale University

Producer: Grace Davis

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

Why do Brazilian cars run on sugar? Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

It’s no secret that society will eventually have to transition away from fossil fuels. Some governments and businesses think the answer is biofuels,like ethanol. Ethanol is a type of alcohol—the same type of alcohol that humans have been producing for millenia. And so, in much of the world, the techniques to produce ethanol are already known and exploited. All it takes is the fermentation of sugary crop, like potatoes, corn, or sugarcane. The result is a clear liquid fuel that can power engines, similar to gasoline.

Brazil has long been the world’s leading producer of sugarcane. In the 1970’s, Brazil started switching more and more of its fuel supply over to ethanol. What started as an effort to combat the trade embargoes turned into a large-scale experiment on alternative fuels. But the story of Brazilian ethanol is complicated—It’s a worldwide industry predicated on exploitative labor and has significant environmental problems of its own.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Jessica Chiriboga interviews Jennifer Eaglin, about the history of Brazil’s ethanol industry. They discuss the conditions that primed Brazil to make the transition, and the lessons learned along the way.

Book: Sweet Fuel: A Political and Environmental History of Brazilian Ethanol

Guest: Jennifer Eaglin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental History and Sustainability at Ohio State University

Producer: Jessica Chiriboga

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

What does resilience look like for Iranian women? Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

For centuries, Iran had a strict social hierarchy that prevented women—particularly upper class women—from participating in public life. This started to change in the early 20th century when Iranians became disillusioned with the ruling class and had a constitutional revolution. This new constitution established a parliament, public schools, and also opened the door for women to start asserting their own rights to education and employment.

Following the constitutional revolution was a period of rapid modernization in Iran. Girls were allowed to go to school, and women were encouraged to stop veiling to look more like their European counterparts. Over the course of a few decades, women’s role in society changed dramatically.

In 1979, their roles changed again. Islamic fundamentalists were frustrated by Western influence on Iran’s culture and economy, and ushered in another revolution. Almost overnight, women were once again restricted from participating in public life.

This history fascinates UnTextbooked producer Arya Barkesseh. He’s Iranian American, and after witnessing a White Wednesday protest while on a family trip to Tehran, he wanted to know more about the evolution of women’s rights in Iran.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, Arya interviews Dr. Janet Afary, author of the book Sexual Politics in Modern Iran. They discuss the cultural context for both the constitutional and Islamic revolutions, and the ways in which Persian women have asserted agency in big and small ways throughout history.

Book: Sexual Politics in Modern Iran

Guest: Janet Afary, PhD, professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Producer: Arya Barkesseh

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

How did tolerance become an American value? Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

There’s a lot of evidence that America is more divided than ever. Our politics, media, and ideologies are so polarized that it puts a stress on our unity as a country. But Dr. Denis Lacorne says that, in spite of that tension, America’s strength comes from our nation’s commitment to tolerance. The trick is figuring out the balance of tolerating the intolerant.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Karly Shepherd interviews Dr. Lacorne about his book The Limits of Tolerance. They explore the origins of the concept, and its impact on American culture.

Book: The Limits of Tolerance. Enlightenment Values and Religious Fanaticism

Guest: Dr. Denis Lacorne, senior research fellow at the Paris Institute of Political Studies

Producer: Karly Shepherd

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

Is every presidency doomed to fail? Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

The Founders of the United States envisioned the presidency as an office that would be minimal in reach. They didn’t want the USA to be a monarchy.

But incrementally, the executive branch has expanded. And now, scholars like Dr. Jeremi Suri argue that the modern presidency is crushed by its own power and unable to be fully wielded by the President, leading to decades of broken promises and deep disillusionment amongst citizens.

On this episode, UnTextbooked producer Lap Nguyen interviews Professor Suri about the shifting nature of the presidency and why FDR is such a hard act to follow.

Book: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office

Guest: Dr. Jeremi Suri, Professor of Public Affairs and History at University of Texas, Austin

Producer: Lap Nguyen

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

How did Black Americans forge a cultural identity? Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

UnTextbooked producer Sydne Clarke thinks that African American history is often oversimplified or overlooked. Often that history is taught as things that happened to African Americans. We don’t often hear about the ways in which African Americans fought for and took care of themselves.

Dr. Leslie Alexander studies Black resistance movements, particularly in America. In her research Dr. Alexander has discovered communities and people who were vital to Black activism, but are often forgotten in re-telling African American history.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, Sydne interviews Dr. Alexander about her book African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861. They talk about the creation of Black-led organizations for mutual aid, and about how African heritage influenced Black activism then and now.

Book: African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861

Guest: Dr. Leslie Alexander, associate professor of history and African American studies at Arizona State University

Producer: Sydne Clarke

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

Were history’s greatest leaders generalists or specialists? Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

The Greek poet Archilochus said “a fox knows many things, a hedgehog knows one big thing.”

This phrase inspired a famous essay by a 20th century philosopher named Isaiah Berlin, who said that pretty much all people can be categorized as either “foxes” or “hedgehogs”. Foxes tend to be agile and perceptive, whereas hedgehogs tend to be resolute and hyper-focused on their end goal.

Historian John Lewis Gaddis took Berlin’s framework one step further. In his book On Grand Strategy, Dr. Gaddis categorizes great political leaders as landing somewhere on the fox-hedgehog spectrum: Xerxes I, Philip II, Ronald Reagan are all classic hedgehogs. Elizabeth I, Shakespeare, and Hillary Clinton are all examples of foxes. And Gaddis says if you’re lucky, you’ll sometimes have a leader who embodies both, as was the case with Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Will Bourell interviews Dr. Gaddis about the traits that make for effective and ineffective leaders.

Book: On Grand Strategy

Guest: John Lewis Gaddis, Professor of history at Yale University

Producer: Will Bourell

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman

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