Now & Then
123 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago - ★★★★★ - 3.6K ratingsHow can the past help inform today’s most pressing challenges? Every Wednesday, award-winning historians Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman use their encyclopedic knowledge of US history to bring the past to life. Together, they make sense of the week in news by discussing the people, ideas, and events that got us here today. Now and Then is produced by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Heather Cox Richardson on Stay Tuned with Preet
September 28, 2023 11:00 - 41 secondsHeather Cox Richardson, host of Now & Then, joins Stay Tuned with Preet to discuss her new book, “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.” They talk about the origins of the terms “liberal” and “conservative,” a 1937 anti-FDR manifesto that presaged today’s GOP, and the ways in which the nation might move beyond the chaos of the Trump years. Head to the Stay Tuned feed to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Then...and Now
September 13, 2023 07:00 - 59 minutesOn this finale episode of Now & Then, Heather and Joanne are joined by the show’s production team to discuss behind-the-scenes reflections and favorite memories from the series. Editorial Producers David Kurlander and Sam Ozer-Staton, Executive Producer Tamara Sepper, and Audio Producer Matthew Billy celebrate history, democracy, and friendship with the historians. For references & supplemental materials, head to: https://cafe.com/now-and-then/then-and-now/ Now & Then is presented by CAFE ...
Looking Ahead: A Viewers’ Guide to Presidential Debates
September 06, 2023 07:00 - 53 minutesHow do political debates help and hurt American democracy? Heather and Joanne reflect on the recent Republican primary debate and discuss the long legacy of the institution, from Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s proto-debates with voters during the contentious 1800 election, to the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, to the iconic 1960 televised debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Heather and Joanne discuss their own experiences participating in debates in the “Backstage” portio...
Looking Ahead to 2024: Conventions, Caucuses, and the Balance of Democracy
August 30, 2023 07:00 - 54 minutesWhat can we expect from the 2024 Conventions? Heather and Joanne look at the role of political conventions in American life, from the “King Caucus” era of the early 1800s, to President Lincoln’s ascendance at the 1860 RNC, to the impact of the 1968 DNC on the political process. Heather and Joanne discuss the power of political history in the “Backstage” portion of the podcast. To get access to Backstage segments and other exclusive content, become a member at cafe.com/history. Now & Then i...
Pardons: Politics & Power
August 23, 2023 07:00 - 50 minutesCan former President Trump pardon himself? Heather and Joanne explore the history of the pardon power, from constitutional debates, to President Andrew Johnson’s controversial Confederate pardons, to the corrupt Georgia pardon practices that precipitated the very relevant Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Heather and Joanne discuss what pardons have in common with extensions and other professorial acts of clemency in the “Backstage” portion of the podcast. To get access to Backsta...
The Women’s World Cup, Title IX, and Power
August 16, 2023 07:00 - 49 minutesThe U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team recently faced significant backlash after its World Cup defeat. Heather and Joanne explore how the team’s triumphs and losses fit into the history of women’s team sports, from the emergence of women’s basketball at Smith College in the 1890s, to the impact of Title IX, to the expansion of the Women’s World Cup in the 1990s. Heather and Joanne also share their personal experiences playing sports in a special “Backstage” segment of the podcast. To get acc...
Telling Tales of History: The Florida Problem
August 09, 2023 07:00 - 48 minutesWhat can the controversy over Florida’s new Black history standards tell us about the politics of distorting the past? Heather and Joanne analyze the claims and framing of the standards and connect the curricular mandates to a century-old effort by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to control how Southern history was taught. How have Heather and Joanne sought to teach accurate American history in their own classes? They share more of their thoughts in a special “Backstage” segment of ...
Unions, Strikes, and the Public: What Matters?
August 02, 2023 07:00 - 53 minutesHow should we make sense of the current labor activism in transportation and entertainment? Heather and Joanne explain how the fault lines in the UPS contract negotiation can be seen in the 1894 Pullman Strike. And they compare the WGA and SAG-AFTRA “double strike” in Hollywood to a similar walkout in 1960, led by none other than Ronald Reagan. How do Heather and Joanne feel about the future of AI in their workplaces? And how do these feelings connect to worker protections and labor activis...
Barbie, G.I. Joe, and the Gang: Dolls Are Us
July 26, 2023 07:00 - 52 minutesWhat can the success of Barbie tell us about America? Heather and Joanne put the blockbuster film into context with other impactful dolls, from Raggedy Ann to G.I. Joe., exploring what these iconic playthings can show about U.S. debates over gender, race, and consumerism. How did Heather and Joanne feel about dolls as young people? They share more of their thoughts in a special “Backstage” segment of the podcast. Become a member of CAFE Insider and get access to Backstage episodes and other...
The Third Party Problem
July 19, 2023 07:00 - 49 minutesHeather and Joanne respond to the presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy and the hype surrounding the No Labels political organization by looking at two past third-party bids that changed the nation: the 1844 presidential candidacy of James G. Birney’s anti-slavery Liberty Party and the 1912 campaign of Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party. How can third party candidacies reflect the values of the nation? How can they backfire? And how should Americans balance their interest in presi...
The Titan, the Sea, and What We See
July 12, 2023 07:00 - 45 minutesHeather and Joanne compare the national response to the implosion of the Titan submersible to two high-profile historical sea calamities: the 1813 ocean vanishing of Theodosia Burr and the 1872 Mary Celeste “ghost ship” drama. How do Americans react to tragedies on the high seas? What can these mysterious and painful incidents tell us about our national anxieties and values? How have Heather and Joanne processed sea dangers in their own lives? They share their experience in a special “Bac...
The American Nation and Indigenous Nations: Sovereignty & Struggle
June 28, 2023 07:00 - 46 minutesHeather and Joanne reflect on the recent Haaland v. Brackeen Supreme Court decision, which upholds the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act. They put the case into context with past struggles by indigenous communities to define their place in the American story, from Tenskwatawa’s 1800s quest for representation, to the consequences of the 1887 Dawes Act, to the 1960s origins of the American Indian Movement. How is the challenge of teaching indigenous history different from teaching other historica...
Presidential Lawyer Problems
June 21, 2023 07:00 - 47 minutesHow can personal lawyers help and hurt embattled presidents? Heather and Joanne use the current chaos engulfing former President Trump’s legal team to explore the blurry roles of private presidential attorneys in American history. They explore conservative Unionist lawyer Reverdy Johnson’s effective role in helping President Lincoln to find legal rationale for escalations in the Civil War. And they compare Johnson’s role to the not-so-effective counsel of Nixon’s lawyer-fundraiser Herb Kalm...
There's Something in the Water
June 14, 2023 07:00 - 57 minutesWhat can past struggles over American water access tell us about national power and politics? Heather and Joanne place state and federal government responses to the Southwest’s current megadrought in the tangled history of water management, from Aaron Burr’s duplicitous scheme to give New York clean water, to William Mulholland’s Los Angeles “water wars,” to the proliferation of New Deal dams. What were Heather and Joanne’s different experiences of water in the 1970s? Join CAFE Insider to...
Texas Tall-Tales, Ken Paxton…and Us
June 07, 2023 07:00 - 55 minutesWhat can the contested and often-mythological history of Texas show us about America today? Heather and Joanne use the current impeachment drama surrounding Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as a window into the dramatic and ever-shifting legacies of the Alamo and the Texas oil boom. What have been Heather and Joanne's personal experiences of Texas? Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. He...
Encore: Women Warriors: Ukraine & Beyond
May 31, 2023 07:00 - 45 minutesStories of remarkable heroism by women in Ukraine have captured the imagination of the world over the past 15 months. How have women warriors shaped conversations over gender, violence, and heroism over the course of United States history? In this Memorial Day-inspired encore presentation of a March 2022 episode, Heather and Joanne discuss the Revolutionary War figures Molly Pitcher and Deborah Sampson, Harriet Tubman’s Civil War spying raids, and Ukrainian sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko’s 194...
The American Wellness Continuum: Alternative Medicine
May 24, 2023 07:00 - 50 minutesIn the concluding episode of a two-part series, Heather and Joanne discuss alternative approaches to medicine throughout American history, and place them in the context of today’s non-traditional remedies, like psychedelic therapy and wellness brands. They talk through the 19th century diet movements of Sylvester Graham and John Kellogg, the popularity of cross-cultural practices like acupuncture, yoga, and Reiki, and the 1960s rise of psychedelic drugs. What are Heather and Joanne’s own e...
The American Wellness Continuum: Traditional Medicine
May 17, 2023 07:00 - 46 minutesIn the first episode of a two-part series, Heather and Joanne look at how the traditional American medical establishment has conceived of mental health over our national history. What can these designations say about the pandemic-associated mental health crises we currently face? How have powerful Americans defined “normalcy” and “abnormalcy” at various points? They explore the pioneering and controversial Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush, the rise and fall of the “neurasthenia” diagnosi...
Veep: The Real Story
May 10, 2023 07:00 - 48 minutesWhat is the role of the Vice President in American political history? What is the road ahead for VP Kamala Harris? Heather and Joanne break down the evolving role of the VP, from John Adams’s frustrated tenure, to Chester A. Arthur’s transition from corruption to reform, to Walter Mondale’s close partnership with President Jimmy Carter. Have Heather and Joanne ever felt like Vice Presidents? Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdo...
Not a Joke: Humor as Politics
May 03, 2023 07:00 - 49 minutesHow can humor be used as a political weapon? Heather and Joanne discuss the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the power of American comedy. They explore Seba Smith and his iconic Jack Downing character, Alice Duer Miller’s poetic suffragist satire, and Dick Gregory’s truth-telling on issues of race and class. What do comedians and historians have in common? Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that form...
Supreme Court Scandals: A Story of Justice
April 26, 2023 07:00 - 1 hourHeather and Joanne discuss the contentious issue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s financial ties to billionaire and conservative activist Harlan Crow. They also look at three earlier conflict-of-interest controversies involving Supreme Court justices: Samuel Chase’s 1804 impeachment over his pronounced Federalist leanings, Stephen J. Field’s 1880s relationships with railroad magnates, and Abe Fortas’ 1969 resignation following the revelation of his acceptance of consulting fees from...
Expulsions and Ousters: The Threat in Tennessee
April 19, 2023 07:00 - 55 minutesHeather and Joanne discuss the political climate surrounding the dramatic expulsion and reinstatement of Tennessee legislators Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. They also place the controversy within the history of state legislative expulsions, from the White Supremacist 1875 Mississippi Plan, to the 1920 attacks on New York State Socialist politicians, to the failed 1986 GOP quest to oust anti-war activist Tom Hayden from the California State Assembly. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backst...
Hostages as Messages
April 12, 2023 07:00 - 55 minutesPresident Biden has formally declared that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained in Russia. Heather and Joanne reflect on Gershkovich’s plight and look at three other political detainments in American history: the 1776 arrest by the British of Continental Army Major General Charles Lee, the 1861 Confederate capture of New York Congressman Alfred Ely, and the 1974 abduction by the Symbionese Liberation Army of California heiress Patty Hearst. Join CAFE In...
Canada and the One-Way Mirror
April 05, 2023 07:00 - 50 minutesPresident Biden recently met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reaffirming the U.S.-Canada relationship and announcing the countries’ joint efforts at tackling a range of issues, from immigration to climate change. Heather and Joanne use the meeting as a springboard to discuss the ups and downs of America’s relationship with its Northern neighbor, from Revolutionary War attempts by colonists to draft Canada into the War, to Secretary of State William Henry Seward’s 1860s quest to annex Brit...
District Attorneys: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
March 29, 2023 07:00 - 52 minutesNew York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg remains in the spotlight amid a widely expected indictment by his office of former President Donald Trump. Heather and Joanne place DA Bragg’s unprecedented position in the history of New York County District Attorneys, from 1800s duellists to the patrician Robert Morgenthau. How have past DAs balanced the pursuit of justice against the pressure of partisan politics? Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each w...
Why Americans Hate (and Love) Banks
March 22, 2023 07:00 - 58 minutesThe collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has sparked a larger conversation about the role of financial institutions in American life. Heather and Joanne reflect on the cultural and aesthetic history of banks, from the Greek Revival-influenced Second Bank of the United States, to the robberies of express trains in the late 1800s, to the emergence of ornate Art Deco banks during the high-flying 1920s. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the ane...
Now & Then Backstage 3/15: Women Journalists and Their Fight to Be Heard
March 17, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutesThis week, we are making Backstage, usually only available to members of CAFE Insider, available for all Now & Then listeners. Backstage is where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the ideas that formed the episode. During the main Now & Then episode, Heather and Joanne discussed four pioneering women journalists. In Backstage, they reflect on the barriers they have faced as women historians. Join CAFE Insider to listen to more installments of “Backstage,” and get access to all the e...
Women Journalists and Their Fight to Be Heard
March 15, 2023 07:00 - 53 minutesHeather and Joanne discuss the increased visibility–and resultant online abuse–of women journalists in 2023, and reflect on four pioneering voices: Anne Royall, Martha Gellhorn, Ethel Payne, and Lisa Olson. What barriers have American women climbed over to have a voice in reporting the nation’s news? Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/history Listen to “Up Against The M...
Trash and Pollution: Who Pays?
March 08, 2023 08:00 - 54 minutesHeather and Joanne discuss how the aftermath of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio resembles past American debates over the handling of waste. They talk about New York City’s 19th century sanitation pigs, the rise of the “Garbage Ladies” in Progressive Era Chicago, and the long shadow of the 1978 Love Canal crisis. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/histo...
Women Change Makers: Three Legal Battles
March 01, 2023 08:00 - 54 minutesTo honor the beginning of Women’s History Month, Heather and Joanne tell the stories of three women who changed the American legal tapestry: Martha Bradstreet and her fight against coverture, Josephine Goldmark and her quest for labor justice, and Rosa Parks and her battle to to find accountability for victims of rape and sexual assault. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.co...
What UFOs Say About Us
February 22, 2023 08:00 - 55 minutesWith the recent spate of UFO shootdowns by the U.S. Air Force, Heather and Joanne discuss America’s historical fascination with aerial mysteries, from John Winthrop and Increase Mather’s colonial reports of sightings, to the 1890s “Mystery Airship” craze, to the 1942 “Battle of Los Angeles," to the 1970s pop cultural UFO moment. What can UFOs tell us about American hopes and fears? Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ...
Congressional Committees…and Power
February 15, 2023 08:00 - 52 minutesIn light of the new Republican House majority’s denial of committee seats to Representatives Ilhan Omar, Eric Swalwell, and Adam Schiff, Heather and Joanne discuss the history and functioning of committees, from early debates over committee secrecy, to the role of the crucial 1890s role of the House Committee on Ways and Means, to the development of the Ethics and Intelligence Committees. How can congressional committees help us to understand the politics and culture of Washington? Join C...
Asian American Identities: A National Story (with Mary Lui)
February 08, 2023 08:00 - 50 minutesIn the aftermath of two mass shootings involving AAPI populations, Mary Lui, a professor of History and American Studies at Yale, joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the influence of Asian Americans on the nation’s trajectory, from the origins of the “Old China Trade,” to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, to the 1960s protest movements that fought for Asian American rights in the academy and beyond. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the ...
Advisors and Chiefs of Staff: The Powers of the President’s People
February 01, 2023 09:00 - 51 minutesFollowing the announcement that Chief of Staff Ron Klain is leaving his position and Jeff Zients is taking over, Heather and Joanne look back at the history of unelected and unconfirmed presidential advisors, from Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet, to the transformative work of early 1900s White House mainstay George B. Cortelyou, to the rise and fall of Eisenhower Chief of Staff Sherman Adams. How have these figures communicated with the chief executive over the course of American history? ...
The 'Constitutional Sheriff' Myth
January 25, 2023 09:00 - 1 hourWhy are some American sheriffs resisting government policies, including gun safety laws and even the peaceful transition of presidential power, while claiming constitutional authority? And how has the role of the sheriff impacted our national life? Heather and Joanne discuss how sheriffs have enforced and defied laws throughout U.S. history, from the emergence of the office in colonial America, to the frontier violence of the 1892 Johnson County War, to 1960s standoffs with segregationist s...
Horses, Cats, and Chickens: Animal Power and Us
January 18, 2023 09:00 - 46 minutesHow have animals influenced the American economy over the course of the nation’s history? And why have we seen such a sizable pandemic pet boom? Heather and Joanne discuss three moments where animals shaped national culture and financial health: the rise of the frontier cat in the mid-1800s, the decline of the urban horse in the early 1900s, and the brief craze in backyard chicken coops that accompanied both World Wars. Now & Then has won the inaugural Signal Award for Best History Podcas...
Things Are Looking Up? A New Year’s Show
January 11, 2023 09:00 - 55 minutesCould the arrival of a new Congress and the more hopeful national tone be the start of a new era in American life? Heather and Joanne discuss past transitions between national epochs, from the advent of the Era of Good Feelings, to the rise of the Progressive Era, to the sea change triggered by the 1964 arrival of The Beatles. Now & Then has won the inaugural Gold and Listener's Choice Signal Awards for Best History Podcast! Thank you so much for voting for us! Join CAFE Insider to liste...
Encore: From Monopoly to Mystery Date
December 28, 2022 08:00 - 52 minutesHow do board games reflect America? How do debates over politics and identity show up in popular games? And how have these games shifted along with the nation? In this holiday encore presentation of an August episode, Heather and Joanne discuss the development of the American board game, from the influence of the Game of the Goose in Early America, to the pre-Civil War origins of the Checkered Game of Life, to several impactful 1960s games. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where...
Georgia (Voting Rights) On My Mind (with Carol Anderson)
December 21, 2022 08:00 - 56 minutesHow have marginalized Georgians fought for voting rights and equality over the course of the state’s history? Emory University African American Studies Professor Carol Anderson joins Heather and Joanne for a special year-end episode to discuss the pain and promise of the quest for equality in Georgia, from the 1868 Camilla Massacre, to the 1966 struggle to seat Black state legislator Julian Bond, to Senator Rafael Warnock’s recent victory. Vote for Now & Then in the Best History Podcast c...
Why "Terminating" the Constitution Matters
December 14, 2022 09:00 - 55 minutesFormer President Trump has called for the termination of the Constitution and the overturning of the 2020 election. What makes Trump’s comments so dangerous? When has the Constitution been under siege before? And how can we protect the document that undergirds our democracy? Heather and Joanne discuss early constitutional debates, the rocky passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the 1970s rise of “originalism” as a theory of constitutional interpretation. Vote for Now & Then in the Bes...
FTX, Con Men, and the Power of Grift
December 07, 2022 09:00 - 54 minutesFollowing the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the undoing of its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, Heather and Joanne discuss the businesspeople and money-makers who have fallen hardest throughout American history. How do we find the line between the “con man” and the capitalist? Heather and Joanne talk about the mid-1800s origins of the “con man,” the loss of belief in financiers during the Great Depression, and the Keating Five scandal of the late 1980s. Vote for Now & Then in the...
Encore: Speakers of the House: Velvet Gloves and Iron Fists
November 30, 2022 09:00 - 1 hourHow did the Speaker of the House become such a crucial role in Washington? How do Speakers balance control with collaboration? And how can iconic Speakers from the past help to contextualize Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s tenure? On this encore presentation of an October 2021 episode of Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss significant Speakers of the House, from Henry Clay, to Thomas Brackett Reed, to Tip O’Neill. They also offer new insight on the significance and success of Pelosi’s speakership...
Now & Then Live! The Unsung Voices Episode
November 23, 2022 08:00 - 49 minutesNow & Then presents a conversation between Heather and Joanne from last Thursday, November 17th, recorded live at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. Heather and Joanne highlighted five objects in the Society’s collection that shed light on unsung brave Americans who made a difference with their art and activism–from an intrepid cheese engineer, to a group of imprisoned indigenous illustrators, to a defiant Harlem Renaissance sculptor. The talk was in conjunction with Heather ...
The Power of the Youth Vote
November 16, 2022 09:00 - 51 minutesHow did the youth impact last week’s midterm elections? And how have young people fought for representative democracy in American history? Heather and Joanne discuss the history of the youth vote in America, from the 1860 “Wide Awake” movement, to the “virgin vote,” to the long quest for the 26th Amendment. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/history and get 50% off a C...
Power, Polling, & Public Opinion
November 08, 2022 09:00 - 47 minutesWhat should we make of political polls? Are they to be trusted? And why are Americans so interested in measuring public opinion? This week on Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the history of polling in the United States, from the informal tavern visits by allies of Washington and Hamilton, to the rise of George Gallup, to the current polling discourse surrounding the midterm elections. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdo...
Fascism: Meanings and Methods
November 02, 2022 08:00 - 51 minutesThe term 'fascism' is often invoked these days from voices on both the Left and the Right. Heather and Joanne start by defining the term and and have a conversation firmly rooted in history, from the proto-fascism of Southern enslavement, to the fascist playbooks established by Mussolini and Hitler, to the current risks for the normalization of fascist ideology and tropes in the United States. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anec...
Fat Cats and Hidden Hands in Politics
October 26, 2022 08:00 - 48 minutesWhy is there so much dark money in politics? How have political funders concealed their identities and motivations? And how does this sleight of hand damage American democracy? This week on Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the role of capital in political maneuvering, from Thomas Jefferson’s 1791 funding of an anti-Federalist newspaper, to department store magnate John Wanamaker’s 1888 herding of Republican businessmen, to Richard Viguerie’s 1970s direct mail campaigns. Join CAFE In...
Educating a Nation: Higher Ed in Peril (with Will Bunch)
October 19, 2022 07:00 - 51 minutesHow did college become so expensive? Why is higher education the subject of so much political and cultural division? And how can we restore a sense of equality to learning? This week on Now & Then, Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the history of higher education and his new book, After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” whe...
The Meaning of Madison’s Flute: Who Owns Music?
October 12, 2022 07:00 - 52 minutesWhat can American instruments teach us about democracy? What does the controversy over Lizzo’s playing of James Madison’s crystal flute tell us about racism, representation, and the roots of our current cultural moment? Heather and Joanne discuss the evolution of the banjo, the popularity of the steel drum, and the 1970s development of hip-hop and rap production. NOTE: Starting this week, Now & Then will be releasing new episodes on Wednesday mornings. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Back...
Puerto Rico Has Stories to Tell
October 04, 2022 07:00 - 50 minutesHow has Puerto Rico shaped American history? How does the national response to Hurricane Fiona reflect the complex relationship between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States? Heather and Joanne discuss Puerto Rico’s historical trajectory, from Spanish colonization, to the 1900s Insular Cases, to the cultural impact of Rafael Hernández Marín’s music and West Side Story. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas ...