History

What do we owe to those who've passed when we excavate historical sites and put that past on display.

What does our evolving moral knowledge say about the culpability of historical figures? What kinds of wrongs can't be absolved?

Holding others legally and morally accountable requires individually confronting our capacity for (and complicity in) real-life horrors.

With calls for removing Confederate monuments coming to a head, how should we view them in history? Context is key, and monuments alone do not constitute educational material.

Translating the moral wrong of genocide into the legal language of law requires revisiting our colonial past.

America's selective awareness of our national history was on display this week from reaction to HBO's Watchmen to Trump's inflammatory tweet.

A holdover from a different time, the Letters of Last Resort signal a strategy of nuclear deterrence whose mode may be outdated, but whose message remains clear.

Embedded in the case for protection are arguments concerning the value of our past, in-group/out-group determinations about our shared heritage, and historical injustice and marginalization.

HBO's miniseries offers a new opportunity to revisit an age-old debate: Should we keep value judgments out of science? Can we?

Much has been made of the US's intention to return to the moon. What did Apollo 11 mean then and what might another voyage mean now?

The ongoing debate over colonial repatriation requires that we confront our history of imperialism. On what grounds can one own another's cultural heritage?

Cloning Neanderthals could be a scientific possibility. But just because it might be possible doesn't mean it's a good, morally sound idea.

Though American politics may seem more divided than ever, it's important to note the changes still taking place.

In D.C.'s Museum of the Bible, there's an artifact that might change the way you think about slavery and Christianity. It's called the Slave Bible.

Scans of ancient places like Palmyra could help archaeologists study and reconstruct damaged cultural heritage sites. But who should own the scans?

The 19th-century socialist calculation debate has surprising relevance today.

How can European nations repay the costs of colonialism?

In 1941, a damaged Japanese fighter plane landed on Ni'ihau after the Pearl Harbor attack. What happened next sparked lingering questions about the relationship between national and ethnic identity.

A new documentary argues that General Patton's leadership should be a model for today, requiring a reassessment of the controversial general's legacy.

Part of Post-World War II policy in Germany was to ban Nazi propaganda and symbols from being displayed. This includes propaganda from the Nazi regime that we commonly see in museums or is shown in history classes. While I found German Holocaust and history museums to be largely well-done and factual despite the restrictions, containing … Continue reading "Mein Kampf and German Censorship"