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PODCAST

Reflecting History

Reflecting History

Reflecting History is an educational history podcast that explores significant historical events and themes without losing track of the ordinary people involved. Covering a wide variety of topics, it explores the connection between history, psychology, and philosophy.

history philosophy

All Episodes

54:54

Episode 95: Sprinting Through No Man's Land with Adin...

Reflecting History ·

2021/07/19

In this episode, I spoke with writer and journalist Adin Dobkin about his book "Sprinting Through No Man's Land: Endurance, Tragedy, and Rebirth in the 1919 Tour de France." We talked about conflict as a lens into cultural history, the 1919 Tour de France and its relationship to World War I, the emotional and psychological impact of World War I, sporting events and national identity, the role of the bicycle in history-specifically as it relates to World War I and women's history, and more. Adin

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20:43

Episode 94: The Cambodian Genocide Part V-Children of...

Reflecting History ·

2021/06/28

Children often get overlooked in the study of history. But their stories can be useful tools to study the past as well as fascinating examples of human endurance in their own right. Compiled by Dith Pran, "Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields" is a series of first hand accounts from survivors of the Cambodian Genocide. These survivors were kids during the dark times of the Khmer Rouge, and now they tell their stories. This is the final part in a series on the Cambodian Genocide. Thanks for

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32:28

Episode 93: The Cambodian Genocide Part IV- First...

Reflecting History ·

2021/06/07

Loung Ung's incredible memoir "First They Killed My Father" is a tragic reminder of the realities of the Killing Fields in Cambodia, but also a lesson in the importance of historical empathy. Her story is simultaneously a harrowing account of the realities of genocide, yet also a testament to shared humanity, love, and the triumph of the human spirit. This is Part IV in a series on the Cambodian Genocide. The final episode will look at children's stories and memories from the Killing Fields. I

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28:29

Episode 92: The Cambodian Genocide Part III:...

Reflecting History ·

2021/05/17

What happened in Cambodia from 1975-1979 was especially cruel. What explains the brutality? While historians debate the underlying causes of the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge, the survivors of Cambodia are left to try to put the pieces together. This is Part III in a series on the Cambodian Genocide. Future episodes in the series will look into first hand accounts from Loung Ung and other children of Cambodia. I relied heavily on Ben Kiernan's "The Pol Pot Regime," Loung Ung's "First They Killed My

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35:33

BONUS: The Paper Menagerie

Reflecting History ·

2021/05/06

Ken Liu's amazing short story "The Paper Menagerie" is simple but poignant. It provides an opportunity to think about some of the most important things in life: love, culture, history, regret, memories, identity, and more. But maybe above all it is the story of the bond between a mother and her son. Thanks for the support! Read the story here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5838a24729687f08e0321a15/t/5bf2bdfa562fa782871c6252/1542635003373/The-Paper-Menagerie+by+Ken+Liu.pdf -Consider

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30:46

Episode 91: The Cambodian Genocide Part II-Endure and...

Reflecting History ·

2021/04/26

What was life like under the Khmer Rouge? Ordinary life for millions of Cambodians was filled with fear, torment, and despair. Yet the people of Cambodia also demonstrated resilience, resistance, and an enduring human spirit to protect their families and those they cared about. This is Part II in a series on the Cambodian Genocide. It goes over ordinary life in Cambodia under Pol Pot. Future episodes will discuss genocide and other first hand accounts from Loung Ung and other children of Cambodia

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53:25

Episode 90: The Cambodian Genocide Part I-The Dark...

Reflecting History ·

2021/04/05

A potent mix of communism, nationalism, racialism, imperialism, and violence resulted in the Khmer Rouge coming to power in Cambodia in 1975. Led by a man going by the name of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge orchestrated the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians in a genocide that has become known to history simply as the killing fields. In only four years of chaos, Pol Pot's reign of terror ranks among the most brutal regimes in all history. This is Part I in a series on the Cambodian Genocide. It goes

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29:55

Episode 89: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate

Reflecting History ·

2021/03/15

"Grief burns but does not consume." A grieving merchant stumbles into the shop of an Alchemist, who shows him a device that allows the user to travel 20 years forward or backward in time. The history of the device and the subsequent choice to step through by the grieving merchant say much about the philosophical nature of determinism and free will, as well as the value of forgiveness. This episode is a discussion of Ted Chiang's award winning short story "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate."

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42:23

Episode 88: The Fate of Rome Part IV-The Justinianic...

Reflecting History ·

2021/02/22

Barbarian incursions are often cited as a primary instigator to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west in 476 AD. But why were they happening at this time in the first place? Why not some other time? Like many parts of the story of Rome, climate change may hold some of the answers. Meanwhile, the empire was able to survive in the east, with Justinian often getting credit for reconquering western territories. A pyrrhic victory perhaps, as starting in 541 AD, the Justinianic Plague was along for

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42:20

Episode 87: They Thought They Were Free

Reflecting History ·

2021/02/01

Shortly after the end of World War II, journalist Milton Mayer visited an ordinary town in West Germany to live with and interview former civilians of Nazi Germany. His goal was to answer some deep questions: to what extent are ordinary people complicit in the creation of authoritarian evil? In what ways did ordinary Germans accept moral responsibility, deflect it, or avoid it? The results of his Nazi oral history are as fascinating as they are horrifying. -Consider Supporting the Podcast!- Leave a

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42:11

Episode 86: The Fate of Rome Part III-The Crisis of...

Reflecting History ·

2021/01/11

Much has been made of the great Roman crisis of the 200's AD. Civil war, political strife, economic dysfunction, and the collapse of the frontier system were just a few of the major problems that threatened to collapse the empire. In the midst of the crisis, as the climate was changing and becoming less favorable, the Plague of Cyprian hit the empire in devastating fashion. Disease, famine, and death predictably followed. But how did Rome respond? From the rise of Christianity to the adaptive nature

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42:33

Episode 85: The Fate of Rome Part II-The Antonine Plague

Reflecting History ·

2020/12/21

The Roman Empire during the Pax Romana was in many ways a golden age of ancient commerce, urbanization, and connectivity. But the same things that made the empire great also made the empire vulnerable to a new type of danger: the pandemic. The Antonine Plague ravaged through the empire from roughly 165 to 180, in waves of chaos and misery. The resilience of the empire was tested, but it ultimately endured...for now. This is part two in a four part series on how climate and disease contributed to the

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50:12

Episode 84: The Fate of Rome Part I-Climate Change...

Reflecting History ·

2020/11/30

The fall of the Roman Empire is one of the great stories in all of history. Wars, political turmoil, barbarian invasions, moral decay, and economic decline are often some of the reasons given as the chief causes of the fall of the western empire in 476 AD. However, historian Kyle Harper would argue that climate and disease play a pivotal role in the story as well. Climate change seems to be a difficult topic to discuss in the modern day, so perhaps taking a look at the history of climate change

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30:36

BONUS: On Bullshit

Reflecting History ·

2020/11/25

Happy Thanksgiving everybody, here's a bonus episode I put out on the Patreon bonus feed a few months ago. Hopefully you find it useful. Bullshit is one of those concepts that is difficult to define, but that didn't stop philosopher Harry Frankfurt from attempting to get a better grasp of it. Most of us are familiar with the ways that bullshit has infiltrated our jobs, daily lives, and even political realms. But what is bullshit? How does it differ from merely lying? Can understanding it help us in

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26:44

Episode 83: China Tripping Part III-Informal History

Reflecting History ·

2020/11/09

When we think of the historical process, we often think of archives, books, libraries, primary sources, and journals. And we should. But sometimes there is a useful element to informal history-the interactions, relationships, memories, and stories that academics often don't bother to study. They aren't scientific, but they add color. They can fill in the gaps and add clarity, personality, and meaning to the study of history. Informal history can also highlight some bigger picture historical and

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22:30

Episode 82: China Tripping Part II-Scars of the Past

Reflecting History ·

2020/10/19

When deadly and traumatic historical events transpire, there is usually plenty of attention paid to these important events. But less often studied is the scars and ripples of sadness that emanate in the lives of ordinary people after events like this. The Cultural Revolution provides a poignant example of the scars and memories that ordinary people in China still hold to this day, the ways it impacts their lives and the lives of those they interact with on a daily basis, and the extent to which in

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32:15

Episode 81: China Tripping Part I-Ordinary History

Reflecting History ·

2020/09/28

History is the study of the past. Oftentimes we tend to forget that history still existed and is worth studying during times that wouldn't be considered earth-shattering or momentous. Could the study of "ordinary history" teach us something important about the way we look at the past? Could it teach us something about ourselves specifically or human nature in general? This is part one in a three part series based on the recent book "China Tripping," which chronicles the ordinary interactions of so

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01:04:49

Episode 80: The Refugee Experience and Finding...

Reflecting History ·

2020/09/07

In this episode, I had a chance to sit down with Lan Cao and Harlan Van Cao. We discussed a number of topics, including: Lan's experience and life as a refugee of the Vietnam War and how that experience reverberates in Harlan's life, immigration and assimilation, discrimination, identity and the importance of finding equilibrium and balance in life, memory, letting go vs. remembering, the bystander effect as it relates to relationships and conversations, social media and it's drawbacks, modern day

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25:16

Episode 79: Myths About Slavery

Reflecting History ·

2020/08/17

Slavery is a difficult topic to learn and teach about. Combine this with some of the big picture problems inherent in most education systems and there is bound to be misconceptions and confusion abound. This episode tackles just a few of these myths and misconceptions through the work of a few notable historians. -Consider Supporting the Podcast!- Leave a rating or review on apple podcasts or spotify! Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Check out my

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26:21

Episode 78: The Star

Reflecting History ·

2020/07/27

A team of scientists returns home from a journey to investigate the causes of a massive supernova. What they discover in the remnants of the cloudy nebula will change humanity forever. The chief astrophysicist of the mission must wrestle with questions of science, faith, and senseless evil. Arthur C. Clarke's award winning science fiction short story "The Star" provides an opportunity to examine questions on the history of science and faith, the problem of evil, and collapsing civilizations. Read

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178 results

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