OPEN STACKS | #41 History From Below: William Pelz, Lisa Lee, David Stovall, Bill Ayers, Nate Marshall & Jeremy McCarter

This week on Open Stacks, the history from below tradition and social movements in the moment. William Pelz talks about historiography, political movements, views on the history from below tradition within academia. Then Lisa Lee, David Stovall, and Bill Ayers discuss, among other things, young people in social movements, the nature of the office of the presidency, and what Stovall calls “the commitment of folks to demand joy in such severe hate.” Finally, Nate Marshall and Jeremy McCarter discuss McCarter’s book Young Radicals.

William Pelz passed away this past December. The scholar and activist was well-known for his work in labor history. Generations of young students in Chicago looked to Bill for inspiration, good humor, generous friendship, and political curiosity. In the international academic community he was widely admired for his commitment to the high principles of justice, and known as a careful, serious, and rigorous historian. 

Here, he talks about the rise and fall of the American left, 1914-2014.

If you missed it, a couple of other people's histories have made an appearance on Open Stacks. Kevin Coval's A People's History of Chicago was featured on our 26th episode and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's An Indigenous People's History of the United States was featured in episode 22.