Monthly Archives: June 2020

Book Review: Ethnic Conflict: Religion, Identity, And Politics

Posted on June 18, 2020 by nathanalbright

Ethnic Conflict:  Religion, Identity, And Politics, edited by S.A. Giannakos To be sure, there are a lot of ethnic conflicts that have existed in the world and this book only covers a small amount of them.  That said, if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History, Military History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Culture, Identity, And Politics

Posted on June 18, 2020 by nathanalbright

Culture, Identity, And Politics, by Ernest Gellner Reading about identity politics can be fun, at least for some of us, and while I would not agree with everything this author says–in particular he strongly underemphasizes religion, which is a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Past And Present: History, Identity, And Politics In Ireland

Posted on June 18, 2020 by nathanalbright

Past And Present:  History, Identity, And Politics In Ireland, by Brian Walker The wonder about a book like this one is that the way that the author attempts to de-mystify claims of ancient animosity between the Irish and Scot-Irish in … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

For The Culture

Posted on June 17, 2020 by nathanalbright

What is it about leftist politics that makes someone stupid?  While I tend to police my social media feeds to get rid of as much political stupidity as possible, one of my online acquaintances made a post today that made … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Musings | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Belarus And Moldova: Country Studies

Posted on June 17, 2020 by nathanalbright

Belarus And Moldova:  Country Studies, by Helen Fedor Belarus and Moldova are the two post-Soviet states that are the most closely tied to Russia and are not coincidentally the two post-Soviet states that are the least successful in having moved … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History, International Relations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Republic Of Moldova In Images

Posted on June 17, 2020 by nathanalbright

Republic Of Moldova In Images, by Vitalie Coroban, Vlad Gaidas, Constanin Grozdev, and Vaerlie Volontir It is unclear why four people needed to write this book, although it is quite possible that the four people involved mostly did photography, because … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Moldova: Poverty Assessment

Posted on June 17, 2020 by nathanalbright

Moldova:  Poverty Assessment, by the World Bank Spoiler Alert:  This book was written in the 1990’s and Moldova is still an economic basketcase more than twenty years later.  To be sure, Moldova is less poor than it was before, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Myth Of The Lost Case: A Case Study In The Tension Between Criticism And Advocacy

Posted on June 16, 2020 by nathanalbright

There are many pitfalls that a historian can fall into that can greatly harm the quality of their work as scholars, and frequently scholars appear greatly ignorant of these pitfalls.  On the one hand, one can be so wrapped up … Continue reading →

Posted in American Civil War, American History, History, Musings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Aren’t They In The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame: Rick Astley

Posted on June 16, 2020 by nathanalbright

It is not very uncommon in the annals of music history to think of artists who had tragic relationships with their music labels that drastically harmed their career–names like Badfinger [1] and Michelle Branch and Mr. Mister come readily to … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Music History, Musings | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Book Review: Mr. Jefferson’s Lost Cause

Posted on June 16, 2020 by nathanalbright

Mr. Jefferson’s Lost Cause:  Land, Farmers, Slavery, And The Louisiana Purchase, by Roger G. Kennedy The biggest mistake the author makes is in the title–and it may be the publisher’s fault and not his own to attempt to cash in … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment