The 2019 Society for US Intellectual History (S-USIH) conference in New York City featured the Society’s very first “podcast stage.” A podcast stage at an academic conference might’ve seemed unlikely, particularly for scholars unfamiliar with the medium. “If podcasts are auditory, why do you need to see them? If they’re free on an iPhone, why are live podcasts a commodity?” However, I contend that live podcasts intervene in our increasingly digital reality by bringing the audio of our commutes to an “in real life” experience.
The S-USIH podcast stage included Past Present, MindPop, Sexing History, and Trotsky and the Wild Orchids. Owing to a combination of executive-board duties and my own panel presentation, I was only able to attend Past Present at the podcast stage. A friend of mine describes podcasts as “friends in my ears,” and I agree with that sentiment. When I entered the room and sat in the front row, all three hosts were so friendly and kind. While I had already met and worked with Natalia and Niki, interacting with all three at once bridged the gap between “friends in my ears” and colleagues in real life.
Past Present on stage at S-USIH 2019. Interviewing Emily Bazelon. See also: the back of my head. Photo credit: Saniya Lee Ghanoui
If you can’t tell, I listen to an absurd quantity of podcasts. I usually can’t read on my hour-plus metro commute, so I consume a lot of US intellectual history auditorily. I’ve considered assembling the following list for a while. It’s by no means comprehensive, and the order is somewhat arbitrary. Both women’s history and Jewish history are likely overrepresented owing to my own interests. Alas, I compiled twenty episodes to introduce you to – if you aren’t yet acquainted with – the world of US intellectual history podcasts.
1 “The Birth of American Music,” 1619, by Nikole Hannah-Jones
2 “The Ideas That Made Jennifer Ratner Rosenhagen,” Trotsky & the Wild Orchids, Interviewed by Andrew Hartman and Ray Haberski *^&
3 “Richard H. King, Arendt and America,” New Books Network: Jewish Studies, Interviewed by Lilian Calles Barger ^&
4 “What’s the Point of College or, Why There Should Be No Business Majors on Campus,” Interview of Johann Neem, Historically Thinking &
5 “The Religious Lives of the Adams Family,” Interview of Sara Georgini on Ben Franklin’s World by Liz Covart ^&
6 “Sylvia Plath,” No Man’s Land, by Alexis Coe
7 “Toni Morrison,” Interview of Imani Perry, Hear to Slay, by Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom
8 “Brittney Cooper | Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower” The Free Library of Philadelphia, Interviewed by Rebecca Traister &
9 “Ibram X. Kendi: Live at Politics and Prose,” Politics and Prose, Interviewed by Wesley Lowry &
10 “Andrea L. Turpin, A New Moral Vision: Gender, Religion and the Changing Purpose of American Higher Education, 1837-1917,” New Books Network: Education, Interviewed by Lilian Calles Barger ^&
11 “Ta-Nehisi Coates,” The Axe Files with David Axelrod
12 “Hanukkah in America,” Interview of Dianne Ashton, Judaism Unbound &
13 “Samantha Hill on Hannah Arendt’s Relevance at this moment,” Dorothy’s Place ^
14 “Democratic Socialists, Court Packing, and Audiobooks,” Past Present, by Niki Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, and Neil J. Young *^
15 “Keisha N. Blain, Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom” New Books Network: Intellectual History, Interviewed by Lilian Calles Barger ^&
16 “Zelda Fitzgerald,” The History Chicks
17 “John Kaag, American Philosophy: A Love Story,” New Books Network, Interviewed by Lilian Calles Barger &
18 “On Woke Wellness, Feminist Fitness, Having Hard Conversations, and The History of ‘Happiness,’” Interview of Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Women Against Negative Self Talk, Interviewed by Katie Horwitch ^
19 “Jews on the Frontier in Antebellum America with Shari Rabin,” The Age of Jackson Podcast, Interviewed by Daniel Gullotta &
20 “Is this the midlife crisis?” Conversation with Ben Wise, MindPop, by David Sehat *^
* Earlier episodes from podcasts that participated in our conference
^ People involved in the episode attended our conference this year
& Author interviews
My hope is that the twenty episodes listed above can inspire a new podcast subscription, scholarly interest, medium for consuming information, or at least an enjoyable hour-long episode. What am I forgetting? Post your own recommendations for episodes of US intellectual history podcasts in the comments!
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Thank you so much for including Natalia’s episode of the WANTcast on this list! Wasn’t she fantastic? I learn something new from her every time we chat. A true powerhouse!
Yes! I’m a fan of the WANTcast and was thrilled when it crossed over with history