Episode 120: Why History?

The teaching of history, like so much else in the present day, has become a political hot button—and The University of Texas at Austin hasn’t been spared. Over the last several months the campus has been roiled by controversies over the names of buildings, the placement of statues, and even the venerable “Eyes of Texas” song. And a largely ginned up controversy over “critical race theory” has been used to cast suspicion on the history profession as a whole. These developments worry historian Dr. Peniel Joseph, our guest for this episode. We explore the connection between history and mental health, as well as tensions on campus, through the eyes of this award-winning author and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Related links: Episode 65: The Past Does Matter: Post-traumatic Slave Syndrome https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-the-past-does-matter Episode 73: Moving UT Austin’s Flagship of Diversity Forward https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-flagship-of-diversity Hogg Foundation Statement on UT Student Petition https://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-statement-on-ut-student-petition Relocation of the James Stephen Hogg Statue https://hogg.utexas.edu/james-stephen-hogg-statue