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Category: History

Scholars at the Library Reflect on the Historical and Personal Significance of the Huexotzinco Codex (1531)

Posted by: Dan Turello

On October 3 and 4, 2022, in a conference room on the 6th floor of the Library of Congress’ Madison Building, a group of scholars from Mexico and the United States poured over the facsimile pictures of the Huexotzinco Codex, which dates back to 1531 and is held in the Library’s Manuscript Division. The scholars …

Image of Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright at Library's Kluge Center and the Daniel K. Inouye Institute event

The Kluge Center Remembers Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright

Posted by: Dan Turello

In 2015, the Inaugural Daniel K. Inouye Lecture featured Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell. We highlight it here again, in memory of two dedicated patriots and public servants who exemplified the spirit of dialogue across partisan divides. For more on the legacy of Madeleine Albright, read this post on the Library of Congress blog.

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Part Two: Ken Pomeranz Answers Five Questions About China’s Early Economy

Posted by: Dan Turello

This is part two of a two-part interview. Read the first part here. DT: We’ve covered philosophical traditions, and some key texts about commerce. What about banking and currency? What were the media of exchange? How did they develop over time? One thing that is striking, especially to somebody who is familiar with monetary history …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Ken Pomeranz Answers Five Questions About China’s Early Economy

Posted by: Dan Turello

Kenneth Pomeranz is a University Professor of History at the University of Chicago. His work focuses on China, and on comparative and world history. He has researched and written about social, economic, and environmental history, as well as state formation, imperialism, religion, gender, and other topics. As the Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Can Big Data Save Us from Ourselves? A Conversation About Information, Democracy, and Dystopia

Posted by: Dan Turello

On a rainy day in late spring, a pan-Asian noodle restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue offered the perfect nook for a spirited conversation about big data, algorithms, and the construction of our legal and social realities. Among those at the table with me were Martin Hilbert, who was a Kluge Distinguished Visiting Scholar and is Associate …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Life as it Could Be: A Conversation with Luis Campos

Posted by: Dan Turello

Fourth Astrobiology Chair Luis Campos began his tenure at the Kluge Center on October 3. A historian of science, his most recent book is “Radium and the Secret of Life” (University of Chicago Press, 2015). He will spend his fellowship year at the Kluge Center studying the history of synthetic biology and its overlap with astrobiology …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Africa, Past and Future: A Conversation with Toyin Falola

Posted by: Dan Turello

Members of the Scholars Council are appointed by the Librarian of Congress to advise on matters related to scholarship at the Library, with special attention to the Kluge Center and the Kluge Prize. The Council includes distinguished scholars, writers, researchers and scientists. “Insights” is featuring some of the work of this highly-accomplished group of thinkers. …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Law, Religion, and Liberty: A Conversation with John Witte, Jr.

Posted by: Dan Turello

Members of the Scholars Council are appointed by the Librarian of Congress to advise on matters related to scholarship at the Library, with special attention to the Kluge Center and the Kluge Prize. The Council includes distinguished scholars, writers, researchers, and scientists. “Insights” is featuring some of the work of this highly-accomplished group of thinkers. …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

War and Superheroes: How the Writer’s War Board Used Comics to Spread its Message in WWII

Posted by: Dan Turello

Historian Paul Hirsch was a Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation Fellow for Caricature and Cartoon at The John W. Kluge Center in summer 2015. His research explored the intersection of visual culture, race, policymaking, and diplomacy from World War II through the post-Cold War period. Paul, your work investigates the convergence of comic book publishing …