I was, like many
people, trying to make sense of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
I heard Timothy
Snyder in numerous interviews, so I was keen to read one of his books. This one is
a history of the Holocaust. It provides the background to the racist geopolitical
ideology that informed Hitler.
But what I found most absorbing was Snyder’s
argument that it was in the zones, especially those that had experienced both
Soviet then Nazi invasions, where the state had ceased to exist that the
killing was most rampant. Non-citizens fared worse than citizens. The surprising
conclusion is that the worst barbarism was less the result of the state and more
a product of the lack of a state.
The savagery was more intense, where the usual
function of the state had been interrupted, overturned, or destroyed. The implications for our political understanding
of the role of the state are enormous.
Memorable books are ones like this that
make you see the world afresh.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “[Timothy] Snyder identifies the conditions that allowed the Holocaust—conditions our society today shares. . . . He certainly couldn’t be more right about our world.”—The New Republic
A “gripping [and] disturbingly vivid” (The Wall Street Journal) portrait of the defining tragedy of our time, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of On Tyranny
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—The Washington Post, The Economist, Publishers Weekly
In this epic history of extermination and survival, Timothy Snyder presents a new explanation of the great atrocity of the twentieth century, and reveals the risks…
In
preparation for visiting Scotland in the summer of 2023, I read this book.
It makes a fascinating argument that this small country on the edge of Europe, in a dazzling
and brief burst of intellectual creativity, invented the modern world. It is a huge
claim but is backed up in the discussion of how Scots such as Adam Smith invented
economics, the geologist James Hutton gave us the idea of deep time, and David Hume
was the first philosopher of modernity.
OK I am biased. I was born in Scotland.
But even if you did not have the good fortune to be born Scottish, the book is a
marvelous read. Packed with details without losing the tight thread of the argument,
it is also less of a brag sheet than a careful rendering of complex ideas.
I have
read many commentaries on David Hume, for example, and most fail to get
the essence of his arguments. Herman’s is one of the most considered,
clearest, and most relevant for a general contemporary audience.
Who formed the first modern nation? Who created the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism? The Scots.
Mention of Scotland and the Scots usually conjures up images of kilts, bagpipes, Scotch whisky, and golf. But as historian and author Arthur Herman demonstrates, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland earned the respect of the rest of the world for its crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.
Arthur Herman has charted a fascinating journey across the centuries of…
I have long had a plan to write a book on the geopolitics
of empire, and so I read lots of books on empire and imperialism. I came across
this one some years ago, but I continue to read it. Some books are best dipped it
over time.
This 4-volume encyclopedia is a great one for dipping into. The entries
are arranged alphabetically and written by experts with a useful guide to further
reading. The superb scholarship is matched by clear writing.
There are the usual
suspects, such as the Aztec, British, and Chinese empires, as well the less known,
at least to me, of the Bulgarian Medieval Empire, the Hittites, and the Nogai
Horde. There are also thematic entries ranging from cartography and cities to
race and sex.
It is my go-to text for general browsing that I return to again
and again. Enlightening and entertaining.
Available online or as a four-volume print set, The Encyclopedia of Empire provides exceptional in-depth, comparative coverage of empires throughout human history and across the globe.
Features over 400 peer-reviewed entries, including both short definitional entries as well as discursive, essay-style articles on major topics and themes
Coverage includes individual empires, people, events and ideas that shaped the imperial experience as well as comparative themes such as environment, slavery, law, and weaponry
Reflects the recent resurgence of interest in this interdisciplinary and dynamic field of study, with newer approaches included alongside traditional topics 4 Volumes
Drawing upon over a quarter of a century's research, The Urban Now illuminates our present urban condition. John Rennie Short captures the main features of this moment of urban significance, investigating the city as a crucial arena strategically located between global flows and national surfaces.
Divided into seven distinct parts, concise and accessible chapters delve into the city and its relation to globalization, urban imaginaries, climate change, COVID-19 public health, traffic, technology, and everyday life.
Conducting poignant analyses of a diverse group of changing cities, including Cali, Megalopolis, Mparntwe, and Syracuse, the book explores questions surrounding postcolonial culture, deindustrialization, social inclusion, informal economies, and new class relationships. Short ultimately highlights the progressive possibilities and redemptive power of the urban experience to change lives and attitudes.
