Skip to content

Contending Voices: Problems in World History

A blog devoted to the research and teaching of the history of humanity, aimed at enlivening the teaching of history, linking it to current social problems and debates.

 

Flags in front of the United States

The Campaign for United Nations Reform

The campaign to reform the United Nations Security Council may indeed come to a head at the Summit of the Future in September. What are the key aspects of this debate? What might happen if the campaign succeeds? Or if it fails?

Person waving a Palestinian flag, photo by Ahmed Abu Hameeda

Who Rules the World Today?

If the United Nations and its members can resolve the current crisis in Gaza—by ending the war and moving toward the recognition of a Palestinian state—U.S. officials will likely learn to pay more attention to the UN, its significance, and its structures.

World History and Its Subfields

Exploring the subfields of history is not only valid but valuable. Understanding these topics generates new ideas and perspectives about world history—and reveals important connections, causation, and interactions.

Photo by NASA/Unsplash

Great Powers Decline But Persist

The G7 nations or Western powers remain wealthy, but other nations are becoming their equals. Here are four chapters on significant trends and events that continue to shape the future of the G7 nations—and the world order.

Language, Migration, and Social Change

As a reminder of the value and the practical usability of language evidence for human history, here is a set of four case studies of the distribution and migration of language communities and the associated social change.

Flags of BRICS nations, photo by kirill_makes_pics

BRICS and the Changing Global Order

Founded in 2009, BRICS is a recent development of international politics and economics. What are this group's primary aims? How has it shifted the global order? And in what ways does BRICS coexist, interact, or conflict with other global forums, such as the G7 and G20?

A mountain road in Ethiopia, photo by Clay Knight/Unsplash

Ethnic Groups Make History

In his new book, historian James Quirin examines the oral traditions, cultural practices, and written records of the Beta Israel, a community of farmers and artisans who lived near the Ethiopian kingdom. Quirin uncovers a lively historical record, showing how small ethnic groups can create significant historical change.

Grand Canyon, photo by Omer Nezih Gerek/Unsplash

UNESCO—the U.S. Rejoins

The United States is set to rejoin UNESCO. As a member state, the U.S. will pay annual dues and participate in global discussions ranging from global cultural heritage to regulations on the use of artificial intelligence.

A protester with a megaphone, photo by Maria Oswalt/Unsplash

V-Dem 2023 Report on Global Democracy

V-Dem's 2023 Democracy Report shows that the overall level of democracy has, in recent years, fallen back to levels not seen since 1986. This essay helps readers explore the report to evaluate the details of democracy and autocracy in any nation

Traffic free shopping on a Sunday in Ginza, Tokyo

How Are Ideas About Evolution Evolving? Part Three

This essay, the conclusion of a three-part series, explores the seventh phase of human evolution: the expanding scale of social organization.

Image of the output from a DNA sequencer

How Are Ideas About Evolution Evolving? Part Two

This post—the second in a three-part series—builds on the main categories and dynamics of human evolutionary change established in part one. I outline six phases of human evolution, exploring different models and hypotheses of growth and change.

Jaw bone of a gazelle from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco. Photo by Teresa Steele/UC Davis

How Are Ideas About Evolution Evolving? Part One

When and how did Homo sapiens become a species? What are the roles of subgroups and migration in human evolution? The first in a three-part series, this post reviews six main categories of human evolutionary change and considers how each of them might lead to unification and/or differentiation of the human species.