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History for the Future

Through interviews with historians and journalists, History for the Future explores the historical roots of contemporary social issues and policies, often revealing the hidden assumptions and political choices defining the present.

HFTF Audio Interview Environmentalists, meet capitalism By Kevin C. Brown \| Alternative models, Economy, Environment Fred Magdoff goes against much of the “conventional wisdom” of environmentalism, arguing that the economic imperatives of our current social system are incompatible with the goals of environmental sustainability. More	HFTF Audio Interview “The Monster” By Kevin C. Brown \| Economy, Housing, Regulation Journalist Michael Hudson explores the origins and conduct of the sub-prime mortgage industry, showing how firms often preyed on the weak, avoided public scrutiny of corrupt and illegal practices, and contributed to the economic crisis of 2008. More
HFTF Audio Interview “One Less Car” By Kevin C. Brown \| History, Transportation, Urban Policy Communications scholar Zack Furness considers the history of bicycling in the 20th century and shows how bicycle technology has been used and politicized. More	HFTF Audio Interview Serving God and Wal-Mart By Kevin C. Brown \| Labor, Politics, Religion Historian Bethany Moreton investigates how free market ideology and Christian faith became “strange bedfellows” in recent American life and politics. More
HFTF Audio Interview “The Frontier of Leisure” By Kevin C. Brown \| Cultural values, Environment, History Historian Lawrence Culver explores the role of leisure and tourism in shaping California’s economy, architecture, and environment since the late 19th century. He shows how California created, and then exported, its image and “lifestyle” to the rest of the nation — and the world. More	HFTF Audio Interview “A Plague of Prisons” By Kevin C. Brown \| Alternative models, History Ernest Drucker describes the current “plague” of mass incarceration in the U.S., locating its origins in policies at the heart of the “War on Drugs” in the 1970s and then arguing that this social crusade became a damaging and self-perpetuating system. More

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