In the Middle Ages, the term “bastard” did not always carry a stigma. In fact, it only acquired the full force of an insult from the 19th century onward .  In the past, social experiences of illegitimate filiations were far more complex than we imagine today, as highlighted by the research program “Medieval Filiations, Identity, and Otherness.” […] … learn more→

I teach history in Connecticut, but I grew up in Oklahoma and Kansas, where my interest in the subject was sparked by visits to local museums. I fondly remember trips to the Fellow-Reeves Museum in Wichita, Kansas, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. A 1908 photograph of my great-grandparents picking cotton has been used […] … learn more→

From depictions in the world’s oldest cave paintings to starring roles in modern franchises like Ice Age, the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) has captivated humans for centuries, transforming from a symbol of worship and sustenance into a source of scientific intrigue and entertainment today. Evolving around 300,000 years ago in an area of eastern Siberia […] … learn more→

Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh in January 1984 as a revolutionary tool designed to bring computing into everyday life. The salvation from a dark future in which IBM ( Big Blue ) would control everything, like “Big Brother” in George Orwell’s novel 1984. This is the idea that inspired the iconic advertisement directed by Ridley Scott for the commercial launch of the Mac: […] … learn more→

The Age of Enlightenment is today an essential reference in public discourse when it comes to discussing living together and the values ​​of the Republic. This makes its teaching an exercise that is both difficult and necessary. Because to understand the spirit of Voltaire and Rousseau, it is important to place it in the complexity […] … learn more→

With the development of artificial intelligence and the images generated by said technology that flood the networks, several questions arise. What weight can the increasingly abundant presence of this type of image have on our understanding of history? How is this going to influence the vision that society is building of history? What might be the consequences for […] … learn more→

The state of Florida ignited a controversy when it released a set of 2023 academic standards that require fifth graders to be taught that enslaved Black people in the U.S. “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their benefit.” As a researcher specializing in the history of race and racism in the U.S., I – like a growing chorus of […] … learn more→

Whenever I tell high school students in classes I visit that I appreciated learning about slavery as a child growing up in the Caribbean, they often look confused. Why, they ask, did I like learning about slavery given that it was so horrible and harsh? How could I value being taught about something that caused […] … learn more→

The new live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid has garnered surprising negative reactions. The trailer for the film, which will be released in 2023, received millions of “dislikes” on YouTube due, apparently, to the mermaid being played by Halle Bailey, a black actress. The Walt Disney cartoon , released in 1989, on which the new film is based, featured a red-haired mermaid named Ariel, […] … learn more→

Of all the subjects taught in the nation’s public schools, few have generated as much controversy of late as the subjects of racism and slavery in the United States. The attention has come largely through a flood of legislative bills put forth primarily by Republicans over the past year and a half. Commonly referred to as anti-critical race theory […] … learn more→