The Confederate statue debate: 3 essential reads
Should they stay or should they go?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on History
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Minority histories of the Indian national flag
As India celebrates its independence, the flag is on full display, but few people know about the complex origins of this ubiquitous national symbol.
From Charlottesville to Nazi Germany, sometimes monuments have to fall
The violence sparked by the removal of Confederate statues in the US shows the ideas that collect around historical monuments. Sometimes it's better to remove them; yet they can be an important way of remembering trauma.
How ancient cultures explained eclipses
The sun was worshiped as a deity in many cultures – and witnessing it get extinguished could be a particularly terrifying event.
Mythbusting Ancient Rome – did all roads actually lead there?
Today the phrase 'all roads leads to Rome' means that there's more than one way to reach the same goal. But in Ancient Rome, all roads really did lead to the eternal city, which was at the centre of a vast road network.
How subversive artists made thrift shopping cool
Over the past 100 years, discarded and secondhand goods have been used by artists to reject mainstream aesthetics.
Tracing the sources of today’s Russian cyberthreat
The Russian cyberthreat goes back over three decades, extends into the country's educational systems and criminal worlds, and shows no signs of letting up.
The hidden stories of medical experimentation on Caribbean slave plantations
Slaves were involved in medical experimentation in the 1700s – both as sources of knowledge and as nonconsenting participants.
Beware the border patrol: the nasty history of airport discrimination
A system first deployed in South Africa in the early 20th century continues to influence the way travel is monitored today.
A short history of the office
The history of the office illustrates not only how our work has changed but also how work's physical spaces respond to cultural, technological and social forces.
Cows in Antarctica? How one expedition milked them for all their worth
What would possess an Antarctic expedition to take dairy cows to the icy continent? Back in 1933, Admiral Byrd did so for reasons of image-making, publicity and territorial ambition.
What to do with Confederate statues?
A scholar of southern politics finds inspiration in an unexpected place.
Henry David Thoreau’s views of 19th-century media resonate today
Thoreau spent his life pursuing the 'hard bottom' of truth. But he confronted a sensationalist newspaper industry that, in many ways, mimicked today's media environment.
China’s final dynasty offers a lesson for Brexit Britain on the perils of the outside world
What can we learn from the 19th-century Qing dynasty?
The backstory behind the unions that bought a Chicago Sun-Times stake
The newspaper's new owners harken back to a tradition of labor-led media in the early part of the 20th century, which represented a bulwark against corporate power.
Can Italy deal with its fascist past?
Politicians hope that a "museum of fascism" in Benito Mussolini's hometown can help the country face its demons. Historians aren't so sure.
Why World War I cultivated an obsession with insects
The first fully industrialised war prompted many to draw parallels between human society and the insect world.
New documents reveal true extent of miners’ cooperation with Thatcher
National Archive files reveal how the PM offered preferential treatment to a breakaway union in a bid to weaken its rivals.
Brexit lessons from Britain’s 19th-century push for free trade
Many have compared the UK's repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 with leaving the European Union.
What happened to the French army after Dunkirk
How French memories of the Dunkirk evacuation differ from those of the British.
Top contributors
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Director, Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Western Australia
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Adjunct Professor, University of Technology Sydney
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Research Fellow, Sydney Democracy Network, University of Sydney
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Assistant researcher, University of Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Monash University
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Fellow in Historical Studies, University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor in History, La Trobe University
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Distinguished Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Pennsylvania State University
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Associate Professor in modern history, Macquarie University
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Lecturer in Australian History, Monash University
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Professor of History, Monash University
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Redmond Barry Fellow, University of Melbourne and State Library of Victoria, University of Melbourne
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Executive Director of La Trobe Asia and Professor of International Relations, La Trobe University
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Associate Professor, Monash University Law School, Monash University
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Teaching Associate, Monash University
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