Conversations in World History

(New) Amsterdam with Russell Shorto

I’m speaking with the author of The Island at the Center of the World, Russell Shorto. Russell is a narrative historian who tells a story like no other, but he also makes thought-provoking and compelling arguments. Along with The Island at the Center of the World, we discuss his book Amsterdam about the important history of the Dutch capital. He recently came out with another book Smalltime about the mobster hiding in his family’s closet. You can find all his superb books and his Tell your family story course at Russell Shorto.com. 
 
Teaching Guide and Worksheet: davidsherrin.com
 
Books Recommended by Russell Shorto:
Home by Witold Rybczynski
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

Jewish Love in Nazi Germany with Christian Bailey

I speak with Christian Bailey, professor of Modern European History at SUNY Purchase. Christian recently published the book German Jews in Love: A History, which traces the experience of Jewish marriages from the 1870s until the post-WWII era. He uses diaries, love letters, and other sources to connect the personal to the political and illuminate the German Jewish home and notions of love. 
 
Books recommended by Christian:
Between Dignity and Despair by Marion Kaplan
Jews, Germans, and Allies by Atina Grossman

Tokyo Trials with Yuma Totani

Today I’m speaking with Professor Yuma Totani about the post-WWII war crimes trials that the allies held against the Japanese. You may have heard of the more famous Nuremberg Trials against Nazi war crimals, which we mention, but here we will delve into the lesser known Far East trials. From 1946-1948, 11 countries including the United States prosecuted thousands of Japanese for charges ranging from Cimes against Peace to rape and sexual violence. The most famous person brought to justice was Prime Minister and General Hideki Tojo. 
 
Yuma teaches history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and she is a historian of modern Japan. She has written and taught extensively on the pacific war and especially the Japanese war crimes, mass atrocities, and international criminal justice. You should check out her War Crimes Document initiative: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a155729757994bb89c3770c74739e066
 
Books on this topic recommended by Yuma:
The Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials by Telford Taylor
 
The Case of General Yamashita by Frank Reel
 

What is worth knowing with John Shekitka (Teacher’s Corner episode)

I speak to John Shekitka about what is worth knowing in social studies education. We begin with a discussion of the Neo-Confucian philosophers' and their view on moral vs. intellectual learning and then we branch off from there in a fun, lively, thought-provoking conversation about history education. John is a professor of social studies education at Manhattanville College and after teaching high school and serving as a principal he has taught at Columbia University's Teachers College, Marist College, and elsewhere. You can read his article here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20965311221145446
 
Here are two books recommended by John:
House of History by Anna Green and Kathleen Troup
Sources of Chinese Civilization by William Theodore de Bary

Confucianism and the Good Life with Stephen Angle

What is Confucianism? How could Confucianism help us grow moral? Stephen Angle is a professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University. He specializes in Chinese Philosophy, Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, and comparative philosophy. He is the author of a fantastic little green book called Growing Moral: A Confucian Guide to life. It is insightful, friendly, accessible, and hits the sweet spot of 230 engaging pages. He is the co-creator with a few other professors at Wesleyan of an excellent website on philosophy with an abundance of resources called https://livingagoodlife.com.
 
See here for a teaching worksheet for this episode at my website
https://www.davidsherrin.com/cwh
 
Additional books he recommends are:
Understanding the Analects of Confucius  by Peimin Ni
Confucianism in China by Tony Swain
The Wrong of Rudeness by Amy Olberding
 
 

Greek Philosophy with Massimo Pigliucci

Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. He has written many books, including How to Be A Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books) as well as Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk (University of Chicago Press). Here, I speak with him about the ancient Greeks and their teachings on character, virtue, politics and other ideas that can be found in his recent book The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders. You can check out his work on his website https://massimopigliucci.org/ or the substack Figs in Winter.
 
See here for a teaching worksheet for this episode at my website
https://www.davidsherrin.com/cwh
 
Additional books he recommends are:
The Character Gap by Christian Miller
The Art of Living by John Sellars

Tupac Amaru Rebellion with Chuck Walker

Professor Chuck Walker and I discuss the Tupac Amaru Rebellion in colonial Peru as well as connections to the unrest in Peru in 2023. We delve into women's roles in the rebellion, conceptions of Latino identity, racism against indigenous Quechua speakers, and much more.
 
Chuck is a professor of history at UC-Davis and the author of many acclaimed books on Peruvian history including The Tupac Amaru Rebellion and the recent graphic history Witness to the Age of Revolution: The Odyssey of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru.

Women’s History with Merry Wiesner-Hanks

I speak with Professor Merry Wiesner-Hanks, Distinguished Professor Emerita of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and former president of the World History Association. Merry has written books like A Concise History of the World and Early Modern Europe. We talk about women's history in general and the misconceptions about the lives of women in the past. 
 
See here for a teaching worksheet for this episode at my website
https://www.davidsherrin.com/cwh
 
Additional books she recommends are:
Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Basque Transvestite in the New World by Catalina de Erauso
A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock by Judith Bennett

Cold War in Africa with Jonathan Reynolds

I speak with World History Association president Jonathan Reynolds about the Cold War in Africa. Jonathan is a professor of African History at Northern Kentucky University. He's the type of teacher we all wish we'd had. Jonathan has written a number of books, including Sovereignty and Struggle: African and Africans in the Cold War. This short book has a ton of flair and the same vibrant voice that you will hear in the podcast comes alive in the text. 

Big Ideas in African History with Trevor Getz

Trevor Getz is a professor of African History at San Francisco State University. We discuss the what constitutes Africa, the tools for studying African history, misconceptions about Africa, and more. Trevor has written a number of books including Abina and the Important Men, Cosmopolitan Africa, and A Primer for Teaching African History. He is also Vice-President of the World History Association.
 
See here for a teaching worksheet for this episode at my website
https://www.davidsherrin.com/cwh
 
Additional books recommended by Trevor Getz:
African Dominion by Michael Gomez
A Fistful of Shells by Toby Green
Crossing the Color Line by Carina Ray