#ScholarSunday Thread 220

Published on April 13, 2025

Here it is, my 220^th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Please add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all!

Starting with a few pieces on the 100^th anniversary of The Great Gatsby’s publication, including Wesley Lowery’s fascinating ContrabandCamp reading of the novel as the story of a passing Black man:

Gatsby’s Secret

For his A Word About… newsletter, Benjamin Dreyer wrote about Fitzgerald’s “vivaciously potent speech tags”:

"Do they miss me?" she cried ecstatically.

Also check out a newly published book on the novel & Fitzgerald, Patrick O’Sullivan Greene’s Gatsby: Death of an Irishman from Wordwell Books:

https://wordwellbooks.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2158

& I ended a weeklong blog series on the novel’s centennial by highlighting a number of other excellent examples of GatsbyStudying, featuring Matthew Teutsch, Stephanie Powell Watts, Wesley Morris, & Jillian Cantor:

https://americanstudier.blogspot.com/2025/04/april-12-13-2025-great-gatsby.html

Turning to other great public scholarly writing from the week, I was deeply moved by Kieran Connell for The Irish Times on working in the same university where his late grandfather taught:

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2025/04/12/my-grandfather-died-by-suicide-i-work-in-the-same-irish-university-where-he-taught-history/

For Commonplace journal, Brian Fehler wrote about the anti-tobacco writings & activism of Margaret Woods Lawrence:

https://commonplace.online/article/puff-puff-pass/

& for Contingent magazine, Robert Skvarla wrote about his return to the weird & telling goings-on at the Bucks County Para-con:

https://contingentmagazine.org/2025/04/07/return-to-para-con/

Two great posts from Bram Hubbell on his Liberating Narratives site to share this week, including this one on teaching the anticolonial protests of 1919:

https://www.liberatingnarratives.com/our-postcards-of-pain/

& Bram followed that up with this complementary post on teaching the East Asian anti-imperialist uprisings of 1919:

https://www.liberatingnarratives.com/the-voice-of-national-self-determination-has-swept-the-world/

Also two important open-access journal articles to share this week, starting with Shamira Gelbman’s Studies in American Political Development essay on the institutionalization of the Civil Rights Movement:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-american-political-development/article/washington-representative-careers-and-the-institutionalization-of-the-civil-rights-movement/15AAA0C57E5B15D2985070FCF99527F2

& here’s Sian Round’s Journal of American Studies article on Lillian Smith’s novel Strange Fruit & periodical readerships:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/lillian-smiths-strange-fruit-and-periodical-readerships/5B812892E2AA80922D93ED3EBD5F663C

I enjoyed this column from my Saturday Evening Post colleague Donald Liebenson on ten iconic femme fatales from film noir’s Golden Age:

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/04/fatale-attraction-10-wicked-women-from-the-golden-age-of-film-noir/

& for my own new Considering History column for the Post, I wrote about the Stooges, the Marx Brothers, & the role of comedy in tough times:

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/04/considering-history-the-stooges-the-marx-brothers-and-comedy-in-tough-times/

Turning to current events, Liberal Currents featured two stand-out pieces this week, including Alan Elrod on the genuine insanity of our current politics:

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/youre-not-crazy-america-has-gone-mad/

While Kevin J. Elliott wrote for Liberal Currents on why the movement dominating those politics is, indeed, fascism:

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/yes-its-fascism/

For his Philadelphia Inquirer column, Will Bunch wrote on Trump’s dictatorial use of the Emergency Powers Act:

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/trump-national-emergency-powers-tariff-20250406.html

On a similar note, check out Harold Hongju Koh, Fred Halbhuber, & Inbar Pe’er for Just Security on why (contra Trump’s actions) the President cannot issue bills of attainder:

https://www.justsecurity.org/110109/president-cannot-issue-attainder-bills/

Tons of vital pieces this week on Trump et al’s continued & escalating cuts, including Gregg Gonsalves for The Nation on the destruction of scientific & medical knowledge:

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-science-health-purge/

Great New York Times guest essay from Margaret Renkl on the effects of DOGE’s NEH cuts on state humanities councils (guest link below):

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/opinion/humanities-cuts-tennessee-neh-doge.html?unlocked_article_code=1.904.lqfl.HLJMEJlgUkze&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=g

On that same note, Katina Rogers for Slate is a must-read on how those cuts will hit local culture particularly hard:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/04/trump-doge-neh-funding-grants-canceled-fellowships.html

& for The New Republic, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela shared & contextualized her own grant termination letter:

https://newrepublic.com/article/193628/trump-grantee-termination-letters-education

Over at The Conversation, Iveta Silova traced how universities in Nazi Germany & the Soviet Union mistakenly thought giving in to government demands would save their independence:

https://theconversation.com/universities-in-nazi-germany-and-the-soviet-union-thought-giving-in-to-government-demands-would-save-their-independence-252888

Vital essay from Adam Sowards for the Salish Current on how we must nurture, not eliminate, our shared cultural resources:

https://salish-current.org/2025/04/08/cultural-resources-require-nurturing-not-eliminating/

While Georgetown University undergraduate Elyza Bruce wrote for The Georgetown Voice on why supporting the humanities is more important than ever:

https://georgetownvoice.com/2025/04/05/why-supporting-the-humanities-is-more-important-than-ever/

& here’s Brandon Tensley for Capital B News on the deletion of Black history within federal agencies--& the fight to stop it:

https://capitalbnews.org/trump-smithsonian-tubman-dei-order-erases-black-history/

Turning to other current events, Sophie Gilbert wrote for The Atlantic on how AI is changing our sense of how we should look:

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/04/ai-faces-perfect-beauty-filters-white-lotus/682312/

I really loved Richard Kreitner’s article for Slate on why, for this Passover, American Jews should embrace the fight for “emancipation of all kinds”:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/04/when-is-passover-seder-2025-jewish-history.html

Inspiring reporting for Hellgate NYC on a group of New York students rallying against Eric Adams:

https://hellgatenyc.com/teens-against-eric-adams/

& bracing but also inspiring story in my hometown paper, Charlottesville’s Daily Progress, on Bryan Stevenson’s remarks for UVa’s Founders Day:

https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/article_dad223b0-00d7-4676-8cf8-8b14e74a37e8.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Lots of great new podcast episodes this week, including the latest Drafting the Past featuring Surekha Davies on her new book, her switch to full-time writing, & much more:

https://draftingthepast.com/podcast-episodes/episode-63-surekha-davies-has-no-lack-of-deadlines/

For the new episode of Vanderbilt Sports & Society’s On the Ball with Andrew Maraniss, Michael Fletcher joined to talk about his recent ESPN article on the great Harry Edwards (featured in last week’s thread!):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445404/episodes/16933466-episode-57-michael-fletcher

For part two of his interview with Dan Morrison for the SocAnnex podcast, Ernesto Castaneda was joined by co-author Daniel Jenks to talk more immigration realities:

https://socannex.commons.gc.cuny.edu/podcast/ernesto-castaneda-on-immigration-realities-2/

Speaking of immigration, for the latest episode of his America: A History podcast Liam Heffernan was joined by Will McCorkle to talk immigration & American identity:

& also check out Liam’s bonus episode sharing the work of another podcast, If You Were in Charge, & an episode featuring Ece Temelkuran on the rise of fascism:

Over at her Freedom Over Fascism podcast, Stephanie G. Wilson was joined by Antonia Scatton to talk about how we risk spreading disinformation when we seek to refute it:

Podcast: How We Spread Disinfo When We Try to Refute It With Antonia Scatton

For the new episode of Jennifer van Alstyne’s The Social Academic podcast, she was joined by Graphic History of Hip Hop author Walter D. Greason & artist Tim Fielder:

https://theacademicdesigner.com/2025/graphic-history-of-hip-hop-walter-greason-tim-fielder/

For the first episode of Left of Black’s 15^th season, Mark Anthony Neal was joined by Aaron Robertson to talk about his new book The Black Utopians:

https://leftofblack.org/podcast/s15-authoraaronrobertson/

For the latest (408^th!) episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Liz Covart was joined by Michael Hattem to talk about his book on the memory of 1776:

https://benfranklinsworld.com/episode-408-michael-hattem-the-memory-of-1776/

Over at the Civics & Coffee podcast, a new series on Ulysses S. Grant has kicked off:

https://www.civicsandcoffee.com/ulysses-s-grant-part-one/

For the latest episode in her What Now? Podcast’s The Cost of Caring series, Lindsay Johnstone interviewed Louise Kenward on creativity, chronic illness, & care:

Louise Kenward on Creativity, Chronic illness and Care

Episode 14 of the Kickass Women of History podcast features Cat Irving on 18^th century anatomist & artist Anna Morandi Manzolini:

https://www.kickasswomenofhistory.com/podcast/episode/27695c9a/14-anna-morandi-manzolini-the-lady-anatomist

While the latest episode of the Ask Historians Podcast features Judy Hart, founder of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls:

https://askhistorians.libsyn.com/askhistorians-podcast-episode-237-judy-hart-founder-of-the-womens-rights-national-historical-park-in-seneca-falls-ny

For his 175^th episode of Axelbank Reports History and Today, Evan Axelbank interviewed Suzanne Cope on her book Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, & Couriers Who Fought the Nazis:

Speaking of Nazis, for episode 51 of his Holocaust History podcast Waitman Beorn spoke with Richard J. Golsan on the trial of Klaus Barbie:

& for the latest episode of Archaeology with Flint Dibble, Flint was joined by Sarah Bond to talk about her new book Strike!: Labor, Unions, & Resistance in the Roman Empire:

Also two great meta-pieces on podcasting to share this week, including Daniel Story for the Continuing Studies Podcast on bringing history to life through podcasting:

https://www.continuingstudiespodcast.com/episodes/bringing-history-to-life-through-podcasting

& I really enjoyed David Runciman’s essay for The Ideas Letter on moving from university to podcasting life:

https://www.theideasletter.org/essay/podcast-university/

Four great pieces for Time’s Made By History this week, including Conor William Howard on the danger of adjusting state borders to reflect political divides:

https://time.com/7266767/danger-of-adjusting-state-borders/

E. Kyle Romero wrote for Made By History on the history behind Canadians’ current boycott of American whiskey:

https://time.com/7269684/why-canadians-boycotting-american-whiskey/

On the anniversary of Appomattox, here’s Elizabeth R. Varon for Made By History on how its true story reveals why we can’t let myths replace history:

https://time.com/7275632/true-story-of-appomattox-dangers-myths/

& finally for Made By History, David B. Woolner wrote about the perils of jettisoning the world that FDR created:

https://time.com/7276697/the-perils-of-jettisoning-the-world-franklin-roosevelt-created/

Over at the AAIHS’s Black Perspectives blog, Kiana Knight interviewed Christina C. Davidson about her recent book Dominican Crossroads: H.C.C. Astwood & the Moral Politics of Race-Making in the Age of Emancipation:

https://www.aaihs.org/dominican-crossroads-an-interview-with-christina-c-davidson/

Speaking of scholarly books, now out this week is Kendra D. Boyd’s Freedom Enterprise: Black Entrepreneurship & Racial Capitalism in Detroit, available at the Penn Press site for 30% off with the code PENN-KBOYD30:

https://www.pennpress.org/9781512827422/freedom-enterprise/

Also out this week is Ben Jackson’s Material Masculinities: Men & Goods in 18^th-Century England from Manchester University Press:

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526180605/

For The Guardian, Jon Henley reviewed Hanna Diamond’s new book Josephine Baker’s Secret War, out this week from Yale University Press:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/apr/06/josephine-baker-the-superstar-turned-spy-who-fought-the-nazis-and-for-civil-rights?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

& likewise published this week is Prisons Must Fall, co-written by Mariame Kaba & Jane Ball & illustrated by Olly Costello:

https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/resources-all/prisons-must-fall

Now available for pre-order from Princeton University Press is Amy Newman’s biography Barrett Newman: Here:

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691249186/barnett-newman

& I really enjoyed Paul Renfro’s Teen Vogue excerpt from his book The Life and Death of Ryan White, now available from UNC Press:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ryan-white-barred-school-aids-diagnosis-history

I’m gonna end with a bunch of great newsletter & blog posts as usual, starting with Stephanie G. Wilson for Freedom Over Fascism on Lexington’s #Handsoff protests:

How it was: 1775 Battle of Lexington Shot Heard Round the World. How it's going: #Handsoff to Trump Regime 2025

For her Feminist Giant newsletter, Mona Eltahawy connected her 2005 White House protests to our current moment:

Essay: See

I’ve really enjoyed connecting to Kahlil Greene’s History Can’t Hide newsletter, including this recent post on a Black neighborhood’s armed resistance to Nazis:

"Ain't nobody scared of you"—Black Neighborhood Forms Armed Patrol After Neo-Nazi Rally

Kevin Levin’s Civil War Memory newsletter is always a must-read, including this post revisiting Robert E. Lee’s Farewell Address:

Another Look at Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Farewell Address

Over at his Digression Impressions newsletter, The Ghent Zeppelin wrote about Trump’s tariffs, McKinley, & closing society:

On Trump Tariffs, McKinley, and Closing Society

At his America, America newsletter, Steven Beschloss wrote about how America’s mad hatter is blowing up world alliances:

The Demolition of a Welcoming World

For his Drezner’s World newsletter, Daniel W. Drezner highlighted the inherent media problem with covering stupid policies:

There Are No Adults in the Room

While at his Ehlers on Everything blog, Mark J. Ehlers wrote about the Right’s 75-year crusade against government, from McCarthy to Trump:

https://ehlersoneverything.blogspot.com/2025/03/from-mccarthy-to-trump-rights-75-year.html

Turning to newsletters beyond the headlines, I enjoyed Kathleen Schmidt’s reintroduction of herself & her Publishing Confidential:

Reintroducing (and Introducing) Myself

Speaking of publishing advice, Etienne Toussaint has started a six-part series for his The Tenure Track newsletter on publishing a law review article:

From Legal Curiosity to Scholarly Exploration

At his Matt’s Historical Ephemera newsletter, Matt Eaton wrote about the double-edged sword of entertainment & troop morale:

When 'Our Gracie' Snubbed the Eighth Army

For his blog, William G. Pooley wrote about lessons from studying 19^th century trials of alleged witches:

https://williamgpooley.wordpress.com/2025/04/10/punishing-magic/

I’ll end with a few especially inspiring newsletters, including Nathaniel Morris for his Future/Conditional on finding joy in the apocalypse:

Finding Joy in the Apocalypse

For her April 9^th Letters from an American newsletter, Heather Cox Richardson wrote about Appomattox, FDR, & lessons & inspirations from our hardest histories:

April 9, 2025 (Wednesday)

& Vaughn Joy continued her Review Roulette April series on Frank Capra, following up last week’s wonderful Cory Booker-inspired post with a review of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:

Part II of Corn: The Path of Most Resistance

Also thanks to Vaughn for sharing Emily Rowe’s fun Conversation piece on all the Shakesperean references in The White Lotus:

https://theconversation.com/all-the-shakespearean-references-in-the-white-lotus-season-three-explained-by-an-expert-254248

Finally finally, two pieces from Dion Georgiou’s Academic Bubble newsletter to wrap up the thread, including his latest Research & Reflections piece on a controversial Australian football match:

‘We Don’t Need to Play These Games’

& if you need even more public scholarly goodness, Dion’s gotcha covered with his 45^th Stop, Look, & Listen newsletter:

Stop, Look, and Listen #45

PS. I’m sure I missed plenty as ever, so please share more writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books, newsletters, & more (especially yours) below. Thanks, & happy reading, listening, & learning, all!