David Avrom Bell
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davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell
@davidavrombell.bsky.social

Historian, writer, New Yorker

David Avrom Bell is an American historian specializing in French history. In 2025, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.

Source: Wikipedia
History 34%
Engineering 17%

“They talk very loud, very fast, and all together. If they ask you a Question, before you can utter 3 Words of your Answer, they will break out upon you, again—and talk away.” John Adams, on New Yorkers, August 23, 1774.

Reposted by James A. Benn

Upcoming two-part graduate student conference at Princeton and Sciences-Po on "The French Revolution and the Sacred." Call for papers here:
fit.princeton.edu/events/frenc...
The French Revolution and the Sacred
“Revolution continues Christianity, and it contradicts it. It is, at the same time, its heir and its adversary.” – Jules Michelet (1848)In the years leading up to the bicentenary commemorations of 198...
fit.princeton.edu

Reposted by Johann N. Neem

A new column of mine in the Chronicle of Higher Education, on the in-fighting at the American Historical Association:
www.chronicle.com/article/acad...
Opinion | Academic Politics at Their Most Counterproductive
The American Historical Association is being torn apart over members’ views on Israel.
www.chronicle.com

How to Celebrate the 250th?

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
How to Celebrate the 250th?
Historians of the United States are in a bind.
open.substack.com

Reposted by David A. Bell

Perhaps the most damning words in this article are the claim that this is "a bitter conservative family fight" over the neo-Nazi, Nick Fuentes.
What does this say about the conservative family?

My newest review, of Lynn Hunt's "The Revolutionary Self," in The Nation:
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Invention of the Modern Self
How did the idea of the individual come into being?
www.thenation.com

Reposted by David A. Bell

Do we need to "stop trusting the experts"?
davidabell.substack.com/p/do-we-need...
Do We Need to "Stop Trusting the Experts"?
(As RFK, Jr. Urges)
davidabell.substack.com

Reposted by Césari Laurent

My newest piece for the NYRB, on William Max Nelson's excellent book on Enlightenment biopolitics:
www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
A Baleful Legacy | David A. Bell
Enlightenment writers who proposed ways of improving and even perfecting the human species laid the theoretical foundations of modern racism.
www.nybooks.com

Reposted by David A. Bell

My new column, on the political crises in France and the US.

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
France and America: Twin Crises, Different Trajectories
Both the United States and France are in the midst of paralytic political crises.
open.substack.com

Why the idea of “vaccine choice” is based on a dangerous misconception of what parents can control (by my better half):

www.wsj.com/health/why-v...
Essay | Why Vaccines Work Best When We’re Young
Parents concerned about vaccinating their babies deserve to know why doctors recommend it.
www.wsj.com

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa

A new piece of mine in the Chronicle. Yes, it's stating the obvious. Sadly, the obvious needs to be stated.
www.chronicle.com/article/the-... (also available on my Substack w/out paywall: davidabell.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...).
Opinion | The Myth of Faculty Indoctrination
Charlie Kirk’s killing has reignited a right-wing canard.
www.chronicle.com

France will be in the headlines this week, with a no-confidence vote Monday and a national day of action (“Bloquons tout”) Wednesday. Here’s my take on why President Macron’s leadership led to this. And please consider subscribing to my free newsletter.

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Macron's Fatal Misreading of History
Next Monday, the French government is almost certain to fall, pushing France into a renewed political crisis.
open.substack.com

How Macron has been undone by his own self-serving reading of French history:
davidabell.substack.com/p/macrons-fa...
Macron's Fatal Misreading of History
Next Monday, the French government is almost certain to fall, pushing France into a renewed political crisis.
davidabell.substack.com

“A profoundly unpopular government is at war with its own people. It is corrupt, immoral, and taking Israel to a place of extremes, where there is might at the expense of morals; messianism at the expense of humanity and hope.” Extraordinary piece by @jo-ann.bsky.social in @newrepublic.com.

Reposted by David A. Bell

thank u to @itihaasnaama.bsky.social for recommending my new book The Future That Was alongside these amazing authors @kalramnath.bsky.social @abalasub.bsky.social 🥰💕 youtube.com/shorts/S99MW...
ये किताबें पढ़कर इतिहास के सारे बवाल समझ आ जाएंगे| Book Recommendations
YouTube video by The Lallantop
youtube.com

We have another contender for Nuttiest Republican Office-Holder, and, folks, I think this one may be a winner.
x.com/shadowofezra...
x.com

A cover letter plus a research statement, a teaching statement, a diversity statement and a writing sample? Talk about overkill. I have run a lot of faculty searches and can say from experience that you don’t need all this.
Pomona College - Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History):

memorients.com/news/pomona-...
Pomona College - Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History) | MEMOs
Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History) - California, USA
memorients.com

My newest piece for the @nytimes, on the similarities and differences between the AI revolution and the Enlightenment, and what the latter shows about the dangers of the former: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
Opinion | A.I. Is Not a 21st-Century Enlightenment
www.nytimes.com

She is the close-minded one, of course. And simple-minded, as well.