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NEWS
Amy Chazkel & Yana Skorobogatov Contribute to New Radical History Review Issue
Radical History Review recently released its new thematic issue titled “The Rest Is Political: Radical Histories of Repose” (Issue 154). Amy Chazkel, Bernard Hirschhorn Associate Professor of Urban Studies, contributed as a co-editor and Yana Skorobogatov, Harriman Assistant Professor of Russian and Soviet History, contributed an essay.
Professor Natasha Lightfoot Leads Curation of Exhibit at New Government House Museum of Antigua & Barbuda
04/17 – Prof. Lightfoot Leads Exhibit Curation at New Government House Museum of Antigua & Barbuda
Last Friday, the new Government House Museum of Antigua & Barbuda celebrated its official opening, cementing its status as a National Heritage Site and concluding a restoration project that began over a decade ago. The museum is dedicated to tracing the country’s history from the onset of British rule in 1632, through emancipation in 1834, independence in 1981, and through to the present day, and is housed in the residence of the island’s Governor General Sir Rodney Williams. Professor Natasha Lightfoot served on the Heritage Panel and led the curation of the slavery and freedom section of the museum, selecting images and objects for display and composing narratives to accompany them.
Professor Sailakshmi Ramgopal Harvard Fellowship and Franklin Research Grant
Prof. Sailakshmi Ramgopal Awarded Research Grant & Harvard Fellowship
In addition to being elected as a Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies for Spring 2027, Professor Ramgopal has received a Franklin Research Grant from the American Philosophical Society for her research on Roman Greece.
Kimberly Phillips-Fein WNYC Panel – Mamdani First 100 Days
04/20 – Prof. Kimberly Phillips-Fein Discusses Mayor Mamdani’s First 100 Days with WNYC Panel
The event, moderated by senior WNYC reporter Brigid Bergin, opened with an hour-long, one-on-one interview with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and was followed by a panel discussion around his first 100 days in office. The panel featured Professor Kimberly Phillips-Fein, Robert Gardiner-Kenneth T. Jackson Professor of History at Columbia University and author of Fear City: New York’s Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics; Dennis M. Walcott, President and CEO of Queens Public Library and member of Mayor Mamdani’s and Comptroller Mark Levine’s transition committees; and Melissa Mark Viverito, President of Hamilton Campaign Network. The full video, featuring the interview with Mayor Mamdani and the ensuing panel discussion (starting at 1:10:00), can be found here.
Prof. Elisheva Carlebach, Recent interview in Columbia News…
02/09 – Prof. Elisheva Carlebach Explores Women’s Power in Early Modern Jewish Communities – Columbia News.
Columbia historian Elisheva Carlebach explores the vital roles Jewish women played in early modern European communal life in her new book A Woman Is Responsible for Everything, co-authored with Debra Kaplan. Drawing on previously overlooked archival sources, the work highlights how women managed households and professions, led institutions, created texts and objects, and contributed economically and spiritually to their communities—from wealthy patrons to poor laborers. The book offers fresh insights into the kehillah, a thriving form of Jewish communal life from the early modern period. Read the full interview here.
Professor Mae Ngai interviewed on one year anniversary of the second Trump administration- 01/20
01/20 – Professor Mae Ngai interviewed on one year anniversary of the second Trump administration.
In the interview, Mae Ngai, discusses how Trump is using immigration and border issues as a political weapon, particularly by deploying ICE agents to Democratic cities and states. She highlights the potential for this tactic to intimidate voters ahead of the November midterm elections. Listen to the full interview here.
In other news, Professor Mae Ngai was chosen as a Margaret Olivia Sage Scholar by the Russell Sage Foundation for 2026-2027. MOS scholars are nominated and selected by the foundation’s board of trustees on the basis of “outstanding career accomplishments.” You can read more about the scholars here.
Prof. Camille Robcis, Chair of History department says…
Professor Camille Robcis, incumbent Chair of the History department, was featured in The Columbia News. In the piece, Professor Robcis discusses her vision for the department, emphasizing history’s dual role in documenting the past while actively engaging with the present. She reflects on the importance of public-facing scholarship, the responsibilities of historians in moments of political and social uncertainty, and the direction she hopes to guide the department during her term as chair. Read the full interview here.
Prof. Casey Blake – Keynote at annual US Intellectual – 11/07
Professor Casey Nelson Blake delivered a lecture on “Experience as Art” as the keynote address of the annual meeting of the Society for US Intellectual History on November 7th. See the full conference program here.
Professor Mae Ngai named honorary fellow of the American Society for Legal History – 11/15
Professor Mae Ngai was named an honorary fellow of the American Society for Legal History, the highest honor the Society confers, which recognizes distinguished historians whose scholarship has shaped the broad discipline of legal history and influenced the work of others, at its annual meeting in Detroit in November 15. Read the full article here.
Pablo Piccato was interviewed by El Pais on Violence in Mexico
Professor Pablo Piccato was interviewed by El País about Mexico’s justice and security system, which he argues was shaped under the PRI to fail by design—favoring corruption, discretion, and political control over real justice. He explains that violence became part of the system itself, allowing criminal and state interests to merge and sustain each other. Read the full interview here.