Coronavirus: a history of now?
Can history make sense of Covid-19? Some answers to this question come from a podcast hosted by the Faculty of History here at Cambridge. I hope you’ve caught it; you … Continue reading
Coronavirus and mental health: reading Oblomov
Coronavirus is a mental health disaster zone. Some people fear a shortened life. Others have lost trust in the future. Many have uneasy feelings about people and places currently closed … Continue reading
Coronavirus: histories of emergency powers
As the proverb goes: it’s pointless to complain about losing your hair when they’re about to cut off your head. Across the world, coronavirus, not its longer-term impact, is the … Continue reading
Coronavirus, Russia and the world: can history help?
Russia has suffered its share of epidemics in the last century or so. As we face the global uncertainty of coronavirus, does knowledge of this history help us? Take three … Continue reading
Lewis Siegelbaum and the consolations of history
From time to time, many of us sense that our ancestors can guide and protect us. Such a feeling is a comfort. But can you read their messages? Historians console … Continue reading
Exiting the EU on Siegfried Sassoon’s time machine
Until today, Britain has been a member of the European Union for almost 47 years. Only people in their mid-fifties can have accurate memories of British life before accession to … Continue reading
The rule of law and workable paradoxes
Balding, but with a fantastical beard, Sergei Zarudnyi was one of the leading Russian lawyers of the nineteenth century, though he was a mathematics graduate with a taste for literature. … Continue reading
Scarecrow / historian
At the weekend, I watched The Scarecrow — Rolan Bykov’s landmark film of 1983 — for the second time. The first time was fifteen years ago in the library of … Continue reading
Books and Terror
Does reading books make you a better person? Students beginning university this week might wonder if learning brings wisdom, kindness or resilience. Faced with an ungenerous teacher in his book-stacked … Continue reading
Old enemies and absent friends
On holiday, keen to avoid anything to do with my day job, I came across a copy of The President is Missing, a thriller authored by Bill Clinton and James … Continue reading
