Monthly Archives: January 2026

Anne O. Law, Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: African Americans, Native Americans, and Immigrants – Oxford University Press, March 2026

Posted on January 21, 2026 by stuartelden

Anne O. Law, Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: African Americans, Native Americans, and Immigrants – Oxford University Press, March 2026 Since the late nineteenth century, the US federal government has enjoyed exclusive authority to decide whether someone has the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Gautham Rao, White Power: Policing American Slavery – University of North Carolina Press, May 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by stuartelden

Gautham Rao, White Power: Policing American Slavery – University of North Carolina Press, May 2026 Beginning in the colonial era and growing through the American Revolution and the Southern plantation system, slaveholders’ violent police regime continued after Emancipation, through Reconstruction, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Books received – Kristeva, Ryback, Sergent, Ruwet, Deleuze, Serres, Burrin

Posted on January 19, 2026 by stuartelden

Mostly bought second-hand, but including Michel Serres, Hermes III, sent by University of Minnesota Press, and Gilles Deleuze, Sur les lignes de vie. The one without a clear title on the spine is Jean-Claude Ruwet, Introduction to Ethology: The Biology … Continue reading →

Posted in Gilles Deleuze, Julia Kristeva, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Michel Serres | Leave a comment

Alex Sharpe, We’re Nobody’s Children: David Bowie and Existentialism – Counterpress, February 2026

Posted on January 19, 2026 by stuartelden

Alex Sharpe, We’re Nobody’s Children: David Bowie and Existentialism – Counterpress, February 2026 This book brings existentialist philosophy (atheistic and Christian) to life through the artistic life of David Bowie. Working with Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mircea Eliade on alchemy; Marie-Madeleine Davy on mysticism and symbolism

Posted on January 18, 2026 by stuartelden

Among many other topics, the Romanian historian of religion Mircea Eliade wrote about alchemy. His 1937 book Cosmologie Şi Alchimie Babiloniană was translated into French as Cosmologie et alchimie babyloniennes, but only in 1991. A substantial part of this text appeared in English … Continue reading →

Posted in Marie-Madeleine Davy, Mircea Eliade, Simone Weil, Sunday Histories | Leave a comment

Andrea Bagnato, Terra Infecta: Disease and the Italian Landscape – Mack, January 2026 and interview at JHI blog

Posted on January 17, 2026 by stuartelden

Andrea Bagnato, Terra Infecta: Disease and the Italian Landscape – Mack, January 2026 Ranging from Italian unification to the aftershocks of Covid-19, and drawing on architectural records, medical history, and the author’s own travels, Terra Infecta reveals the lived realities of grand … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

William Whyte, The University: A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – Harvard University Press, August 2026

Posted on January 17, 2026 by stuartelden

William Whyte, The University: A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – Harvard University Press, August 2026 We often idealize the university as a sanctuary for disinterested reason, where material concerns are set aside in favor of higher principles. Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Universities | 1 Comment

Alain Badiou, A Political Life: 1937-1985 – trans. Robin Mackay, Polity, November 2025

Posted on January 16, 2026 by stuartelden

Alain Badiou, A Political Life: 1937-1985 – trans. Robin Mackay, Polity, November 2025 In this book, the renowned philosopher and polymath Alain Badiou tells the story of the first five decades of his life, from 1937 to 1985, setting it … Continue reading →

Posted in Alain Badiou, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Kerry Goettlich, From Frontiers to Borders: How Colonial Technicians Created Modern Territoriality – Cambridge University Press, August 2025 and New Books discussion

Posted on January 16, 2026 by stuartelden

Kerry Goettlich, From Frontiers to Borders: How Colonial Technicians Created Modern Territoriality – Cambridge University Press, August 2025 I’ve shared the book details before. There is now a New Books discussion with Morteza Hajizadeh – thanks to dmf for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Martin Schulze Wessel, The Curse of Empire: Ukraine, Poland, and the Fatal Paths in Russian History – trans. Neil Solomon, Polity, November 2025

Posted on January 15, 2026 by stuartelden

Martin Schulze Wessel, The Curse of Empire: Ukraine, Poland, and the Fatal Paths in Russian History – trans. Neil Solomon, Polity, November 2025 Russia’s attack on Ukraine marks an epochal break in European and global history. Undoubtedly, the decision to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment