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The End of Resistance History

On this episode of American Prestige, Charlotte Rosen on the short life of a liberal historiography that emerged during the first Trump administration.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

March 18, 2025

Scene at the signing of the Constitution of the United States.

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The End of Resistance History w/ Charlotte Rosen | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek speak with Chicago-based historian and writer Charlotte Rosen about the end of so-called “Resistance history”, a particular strain of liberal historiography that emerged during the first Trump administration. They talk about Resistance history’s defining characteristics, how it might have been an overcorrection to defend liberal democracy against attacks by Trump, how historians who engaged in this form of history viewed it as political action, some of the movement’s biggest figures, the apparent elitism and self-promotion among its proponents, the AHA and the decline of the history profession, and more.

Read Charlotte’s piece “The End of Resistance History” over at Protean Magazine.

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On this episode of American Prestige, we’re joined by Chicago-based historian and writer Charlotte Rosen about the end of so-called “Resistance history,” a particular strain of liberal historiography that emerged during the first Trump administration. We talk about Resistance history’s defining characteristics, how it might have been an overcorrection to defend liberal democracy against attacks by Trump, how historians who engaged in this form of history viewed it as political action, some of the movement’s biggest figures, the apparent elitism and self-promotion among its proponents, the American Historical Association and the decline of the history profession, and more.

You can read Charlotte’s piece “The End of Resistance History” over at Protean Magazine.

The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

The Political Economy of Porn w/ Molly Lambert | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek welcome to the show Molly Lambert, creator of the JENNAWORLD podcast, to talk about the rise of the modern porn industry and its roots in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. They discuss the medium’s origins in underground stag films and the porno chic era; the shift to home video and the corporate studio model; breakout stars like Ginger Lynn Allen and Jenna Jameson; porn as an outsider industry mirroring Hollywood; gender, labor, and power in late-20th-century media; the relationship between pornography and evolving feminist politics; porn’s role in the VHS–Betamax war; and how the internet, OnlyFans, and content platforms have affected a formerly professionalized industry.

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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.


Derek DavisonDerek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.


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