The Book, the Bomb, and Stalin

David Holloway. Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939–1956 . New Haven.     

The Archeologists, the Military and the Law

In less than a decade, archaeologists have seen the discipline increasingly entangled in the thriving dispute concerning the political and ethical responsibility the profession has to face, in the context of contemporary armed conflict. The recent western military interventions, in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East, ensured many archaeologists and heritage professionals became more involved with military institutions. This trend was counterbalanced by the fact that other members of the academic community strongly distanced themselves from this professional choice, challenging their colleagues on ethical grounds. This paper will put the debate in a wider context, and analyse the issue from several angles, in-order to understand whether a new conceptual framework could be of help in the analysis of this ethical dilemma. The intention is to explore if, when, and under what circumstances, archaeologists should get involved with the military to protect cultural heritage. This exploration will start with the evaluation of some of the limits and contradictions intrinsic in the ideals behind international law. Then it will move towards more contextualized and politically dense considerations and give a closer look to some possible practical solutions.     

The Enlightenment,Pyropolitics, and the Problem of Evil

Abstract

In this article I argue that the ideal of rationality espoused by the European Enlightenment hinges on the separation of the light of reason from heat, with which it had been conjoined in the classical element of fire at least since the Greek antiquity. As a result, evil, from the standpoint of the Enlightenment is tantamount to heat without light, while evil, critically viewed outside this tradition, inheres in the absolute separation between the two aspects of the life-giving, albeit ineluctably dangerous, fire.     

The Canadian Rebellion,the American South,and Slavery

ABSTRACT

In the past few decades, thanks in large part to the work of several historians that appears in my edited collection, Revolutions Across Borders: Jacksonian America and the Canadian Rebellion (2019), there is a growing trend to consider the Canadian Rebellion within an American historical and historiographical context. Despite this exciting new research, most studies on the Rebellion and the United States continue to focus on the northern borderland. However, the Canadian Rebellion was a significant event that gained attention all over the United States, including the American South. Similar to the North, the American South was also invested in the outcome of the Rebellion. This was due to one reason: slavery. By specifically focusing on the American South and, more importantly, its influence on American foreign policy during the period, I want to encourage historians to take a more definitive stance; that slavery—just like the Panic of 1837, the Anglo-American rapprochement of thepost-War-of-1812 period, or the fear of British retaliation—played a major role in the United States Government’s official opposition to the Rebellion.     

The Monuments in the Parish Church,Colyton, Devon

Abstract

This paper provides an edition of a stray duchy of Lancaster building account currently located in the archives of the Spalding Gentleman’s Society and relating to building works at Pontefract castle. The roll contains what are referred to as ‘the parcells’ of account for the year 1406–07. Few such accounts survive for this period. Pontefract was an important centre under Henry IV, having housed the deposed Richard II until his death. The work being done at the castle was part of the rebuilding of the quarters of Robert Waterton, constable of Pontefract. Robert de Gamelston of Nottinghamshire is known from other sources as a quarryman and master mason, but this account extends the period for which he is known to have been active. Details of the quarries and of the work and wages of the masons, carpenters and smiths are provided.