How has fear shaped history?

benjbcorbet

HistoryExtra podcast

With the climate crisis, war in Ukraine, a recent pandemic and the rise of AI, it can feel like there is more to be fearful of today than ever before. But according to historian Robert Peckham, human society has always been shaped by fear – and not always in the ways you might expect. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Robert reveals how fear has been a force for both good and ill, from the Black Death and colonisation to the abolition movement and 19th-century concerns about technology.

(Ad) Robert Peckham is the author of Fear: An Alternative History of the World (Profile, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2F9781788167239

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Related Posts

Victoria’s armpit and ‘giant’ bones: body parts that changed history

How did a severed ear start a war between Britain and Spain in the 18th century? And what has Queen Victoria's armpit got to do with the development of antiseptic? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, medical doctor and historian Dr Suzie Edge investigates our long-standing fascination with body parts, and explores the incredible stories of the people attached to them – from Albert Einstein's brain to the bones of 'Irish Giant' Charles Byrne. (Ad) Suzie Edge is a medical doctor, historian and the author of Vital Organs: A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts (Wildfire, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vital-Organs-Suzie-Edge/dp/1035404583/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
benjbcorbet

The American Gilded Age: everything you wanted to know

How did the Gilded Ages get its name? What caused the explosion of industry at this time? Who were the great industrialists of the age, and what can their philanthropy tell us about the morals of the era? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Nancy C Unger answers listener questions on the so-called Gilded Age in the US, from the expansion of railroads and manufacturing that shaped the era and made millions for the industrial barons, to the 'dollar princesses' who married into British aristocracy The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
benjbcorbet

Books and war: from James Bond to leaflet bombing

Throughout time, both authors and their readers have gone to war. In that process, the written word has become a deadly weapon and a glimmer of peace and hope – from the furious printing efforts behind publishing //Mein Kampf// to the daring exploits of James Bond. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Andrew Pettegree traces the surprising, and sometimes sinister, ways in which the written word has shaped, and been shaped, by the conflicts of last few centuries. (Ad) Andrew Pettegree is the author of The Book at War: Libraries and Readers in an Age of Conflict (Profile Books, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-book-at-war%2Fandrew-pettegree%2F9781800814936 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
benjbcorbet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *