History

Six from MIT elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2020

Prestigious honor society announces more than 250 new members.

April 24, 2020

This hearth from one of the Mesoamerican smelting furnaces, seen as it was being excavated by Dorothy Hosler and her team in Mexico, was among the sites that revealed that indigenous people were producing copper for the Spanish colonists.

Mesoamerican copper smelting technology aided colonial weaponry

Spanish conquerors depended on indigenous expertise to keep up their munitions supplies, archaeologists have found.

March 31, 2020

Lyndie Mitchell Zollinger (left) and Charlotte Minsky have been named 2020 Gates Cambridge Scholars.

Charlotte Minsky and Lyndie Mitchell Zollinger named 2020 Gates Cambridge Scholars

MIT seniors will pursue graduate studies at Cambridge University.

February 18, 2020

Researchers find that Dutch sugar production in Indonesia in the 19th century entailed industrialization whose economic benefits are still evident today.

The complex effects of colonial rule in Indonesia

Evidence links Dutch-era sugar production and greater economic activity today.

February 5, 2020

Isabelle de Courtivron's latest work takes on the controversial subject of aging for women, with its particular implications in French culture.

3 Questions: Isabelle de Courtivron on the shock of becoming old

MIT professor emerita talks about her new memoir and aging in a patriarchal society.

February 3, 2020

"Lately I have been trying to think of African history from the perspective of goodness and basic human decency," says Kenda Mutongi, an MIT professor of history. "Of course, conflicts exist, and do a great deal of damage in our lives, and we must confront them — but we must also allow ourselves to appreciate basic goodness and kindness when we see it."

3 Questions: Professor Kenda Mutongi on Africa, women, power — and human decency

Mutongi discusses the connection between Kenyan widows and the #MeToo movement, myths of African entrepreneurship, and the wider implications of her research.

January 14, 2020

How to stage a revolution

MIT History class explores the roots and complexities of revolutions across the globe.

January 7, 2020

Designed by an MIT team using artificial intelligence, “The [R]evolution of Hip Hop Breakbeat Narratives” is an immersive art installation designed for the forthcoming Universal Hip Hop Museum in New York City.

Exploring hip hop history with art and technology

With its centerpiece exhibit for the forthcoming Universal Hip Hop Museum, an MIT team uses artificial intelligence to explore the rich history of hip hop music.

December 20, 2019

Six MIT Press authors were awarded “best of” recognition in 2019.

MIT Press authors earn coveted “best of” book honors in 2019

The book publisher continues to produce intellectually daring, scholarly work.

December 18, 2019

“There is a grand strategy of fear at play here, and to be frank, it is, for the most part, effective,” says Nigerian journalist Shola Lawal. “It’s hard not to self-censor when you know you can be kidnapped or detained and that you’ll only become another statistic.”

3 Questions: Shola Lawal on human rights and social justice

The Nigerian journalist is the recipient of a prestigious fellowship that provides residencies at MIT, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times.

December 17, 2019

Bringing figures in anticolonial politics out of the shadows

MIT historian Sana Aiyar sheds new light on the complexities of independence movements and global migration.

December 10, 2019

“MIT is the best place to be an anthropologist studying issues of science and technology," says Timothy Loh, a sophomore in the HASTS PhD program. "It’s a place where we’re able to think deeply and critically about how scientific knowledge and authority is constructed."

Uncovering the role of technology and medicine in deaf and signing worlds

Timothy Loh, a HASTS program doctoral student studying deafness, sign language, and technology, is a sociocultural and medical anthropologist-in-training.

December 5, 2019

"In Event of Moon Disaster" reimagines the story of the first moon landing as if the Apollo 11 astronauts had not been able to return to Earth. It was created to highlight the concern about computer-based misinformation, or "deepfakes."

MIT art installation aims to empower a more discerning public

With “In Event of Moon Disaster,” the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality aims to educate the public on deepfakes with an alternative history of the moon landing.

November 25, 2019

"What does it mean," Aidinoff asks "when civil rights become about access to computers and the internet? When lack of internet access is considered a form of poverty? These questions were getting under my skin," he says. "I wanted to know how social and economic policy were tied to changing ideas about technology."

PhD student Marc Aidinoff explores how technology impacts public policy

Historian's research focuses on understanding how visions for social and economic policy are tied to changing ideas about technology.

November 18, 2019

Kate Brown is a professor in MIT's Program in Science, Technology, and Society.

Historian of the hinterlands

In overlooked spots on the map, MIT Professor Kate Brown examines the turbulence of the modern world.

November 12, 2019

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