A new U.S. history-themed weekly radio program was recently developed at 
the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in Charlottesville, Virginia, 
and launched on selected public radio stations in late spring. Hosted by 
U.S. historians Brian Balogh, Peter Onuf, and Ed Ayers, the program goes 
where few journalists dare to go: into the past. You can check out our 
website for stations, show times, a free podcast, and more: 
www.backstoryradio.org.

Each week, the History Guys tear a topic from the headlines, and proceed 
to plumb its historical depths. Over the course of a show, the hosts are 
joined by fellow historians, people in the news, and callers who want to 
explore the roots of what’s going on now. Together, they drill down to 
colonial times and earlier, revealing the connections (and sometimes, 
the disconnections) between past and present. With its passionate, 
intelligent, and irreverent approach, the program targets specialists 
and non-specialists alike, and attempts to make history part of the 
national conversation again.

We think that one of our inaugural shows may be of interest to 
recipients of this listserv. It concerns the history of racial purity in 
the U.S., and the changing ways in which race has been imagined in this 
country. Racial separation has incited some of the nation’s bitterest 
battles, yet science shows that biologically speaking, “race” doesn’t 
exist. How has this cultural invention fueled slavery, quotas and 
segregation? Who were the first proponents of eugenics? What’s the 
history of intermarriage? And when did “race” become a category?

A significant portion of the program is devoted to listener calls. But 
because the show is still in development, we are relying on 
word-of-mouth to attract people interested in participating in the 
recording of the show. Please consider sending us your thoughts, 
observations, and especially questions related to the topic. If we think 
they work well for our purposes, we'll invite you to share them "on the 
air."

Also -- please feel free to pass this announcement along to your 
colleagues, students, and anybody else you think might be interested.

We will be recording this episode of the show on Saturday, June 28. If 
you're interested in participating, please email us with your 
thoughts/questions by this Friday (the 27th) at the latest.

Thank you very much...and stay tuned!

Catherine Moore
Researcher/Production Assistant
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
[log in to unmask]
434-924-4403

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html