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American Politics
American Studies October 3, 2023

A Constitutional Culture

New England and the Struggle Against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire

Adrian Chastain Weimer

Hosted by Crawford Gribben
In A Constitutional Culture: New England and the Struggle Against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire (U Pennsylvania Press, 2023), Adrian Chastain Weimer uncovers the story of how, more than …

American Politics

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Interviews with scholars of American politics about their new books.

Capitalism and Freedom in the Twenty-First Century October 2, 2023

40 Years Since Milton Friedman‘s ‘Free To Choose‘

A conversation with Rob Chatfield

Rob Chatfield

Hosted by Jon Hartley
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It's been over 40 years since Milton Friedman's famous ten-part television series 'Free To Choose' was broadcast on PBS. Rob Chatfield, President and CEO of the Free To Choose Network …
Law September 30, 2023

Supreme Hubris

How Overconfidence Is Destroying the Court--And How We Can Fix It

Aaron Tang

Hosted by William Domnarski
Today I talked to Aaron Tang about his new book Supreme Hubris: How Overconfidence Is Destroying the Court--And How We Can Fix It (Yale UP, 2023). The Supreme Court, once the most respected …
General History September 30, 2023

Political Disappointment

A Cultural History from Reconstruction to the AIDS Crisis

Sara Marcus

Hosted by Deidre Tyler
Moving from the aftermath of Reconstruction through the AIDS crisis, a new cultural history of the United States shows how artists, intellectuals, and activists turned political disappointment--the unfulfilled desire for …
Political Science September 28, 2023

Monitors and Meddlers

How Foreign Actors Influence Local Trust in Elections

Sarah Sunn Bush and Lauren Prather

Hosted by Lamis Abdelaaty
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Foreign influences on elections are widespread. Although foreign interventions around elections differ markedly-in terms of when and why they occur, and whether they are even legal-they all have enormous potential …
African American Studies September 26, 2023

Before the Movement

The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights

Dylan C. Penningroth

Hosted by Katrina Anderson
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A prize-winning scholar draws on astonishing new research to demonstrate how Black people used the law to their advantage long before the Civil Rights Movement. The familiar story of civil …
Madison's Notes September 26, 2023

Bargaining for Democracy

A Conversation with Josiah Ober on Ancients and Moderns

Josiah Ober

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
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Amidst increasing acrimony and political strain, many worry that democratic governance has an expiration date. To answer these concerns, Josiah Ober looks to the ancients. Here, he discusses his recent …
Biography September 25, 2023

Walter Lippmann

American Skeptic, American Pastor

Mark Thomas Edwards

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin
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Walter Lippmann was arguably the most recognized and respected political journalist of the twentieth century. His "Today and Tomorrow" columns attracted a global readership of well over ten million. Lippmann …
Political Science September 25, 2023

The People and Their Peace

Legal Culture and the Transformation of Inequality in the Post-revolutionary South

Laura F. Edwards

Hosted by Susan Liebell
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Do individuals have the right to “keep and bear” arms? Do “the people” have any collective rights to public safety? Now that the United States Supreme Court requires each side …
Law September 23, 2023

Justifying Violent Protest

Law and Morality in Democratic States

James Greenwood-Reeves

Hosted by Jane Richards
Was the use of violence on January 6th Capitol attacks legitimate? Is the use of violence morally justified by members of Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil campaigners? Justifying Violent Protest …
Media September 23, 2023

The New True Crime

How the Rise of Serialized Storytelling Is Transforming Innocence

Diana Rickard

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
The New True Crime: How the Rise of Serialized Storytelling Is Transforming Innocence (NYU Press, 2023) by Dr. Diana Rickard examines how serialized crime shows became an American obsession. TV …
African American Studies September 22, 2023

Before Busing

A History of Boston's Long Black Freedom Struggle

Zebulon Vance Miletsky

Hosted by Adam McNeil
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In many histories of Boston, African Americans have remained almost invisible. Partly as a result, when the 1972 crisis over school desegregation and busing erupted, many observers professed shock at …
Environmental Studies September 22, 2023

Clean Air and Good Jobs

U.S. Labor and the Struggle for Climate Justice

Todd E. Vachon

Hosted by Zalman Newfield
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The labor–climate movement in the U.S. laid the groundwork for the Green New Deal by building a base within labor for supporting climate protection as a vehicle for good jobs …
Recall This Book September 21, 2023

January 6th and Asymmetrical Policing (JP, EF)

A Discussion with David Cunningham

David Cunningham

Hosted by Elizabeth Ferry and John Plotz
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Recall This Book first heard from the sociologist of American racism David Cunningham in Episode 36 Policing and White Power. Less than a week after the horrors of January 6th …
Postscript September 18, 2023

How Firearms Fuel Domestic Violence in the US

A Discussion with Shannon Frattoroli, Kelly Roskam, and April M. Zeoli

Shannon Frattoroli, Kelly Roskam, and April M. Zeoli

Hosted by Susan Liebell
In 2019, nearly two-thirds of domestic violence homicides in the United States were committed with a gun. On average, three women are killed by a current or former partner every …
Politics & Polemics September 16, 2023

Splitsville USA

A Democratic Argument for Breaking Up the United States

Christopher F. Zurn

Hosted by Keith Krueger
At the end of the day, I have faith in the wisdom of democracy: the idea that good political solutions only arise from widely dispersed discussion, debate and decision among …
The Future of . . . with Owen Bennett-Jones September 16, 2023

The Future of Anarchism

A Discussion with Ruth Kinna

Ruth Kinna

Hosted by Owen Bennett-Jones
50 years ago, anarchism was written off by some as a set of outdated idealistic ideas that had no contemporary relevance. Then came protests at events such as World Trade …
Princeton UP Ideas Podcast September 15, 2023

To Build a Black Future

The Radical Politics of Joy, Pain, and Care

Christopher Paul Harris

Hosted by Mark Klobas
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When #BlackLivesMatter emerged in 2013, it animated the most consequential Black-led mobilization since the civil rights and Black power era. Today, the hashtag turned rallying cry is but one expression …
Public Policy September 15, 2023

Poverty in the Pandemic

Policy Lessons from COVID-19

Zachary Parolin

Hosted by Stephen Pimpare
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Zachary Parolin's book Poverty in the Pandemic: Policy Lessons from COVID-19 (Russell Sage Foundation, 2023) is interested in poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., as well as what the …
Political Science September 14, 2023

Election Day

How We Vote and What It Means for Democracy

Emilee Booth Chapman

Hosted by Lilly Goren
Emilee Booth Chapman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, has a new book that examines the idea of the vote, and what this experience means for citizens, for …