Ben Railton
@americanstudier.bsky.social
Prof of Amer Lit & Studies. Dad to 2 amazing young men. Married. We the People: http://tinyurl.com/yyhxjktb; Of Thee I Sing: http://tinyurl.com/y6hsozjx. #ScholarSunday guru. https://blackwhiteandread.com he/him
Pinned
The Celestials’ Last Game | Ben Railton
Baseball, Bigotry, and the Battle for America
americanstudier.podbean.com
For new followers, here's my latest project, a podcast on sports histories, exclusion & inclusion, & the worst & best of America--& my single favorite moment from American history.
americanstudier.podbean.com
americanstudier.podbean.com
Happy Zora Neale Hurston Day! You got to go there to know there.
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
January Nominees
January 1: Alfred Stieglitz , one of America’s most innovative and significant photographer s and a deeply humanistic and powerful chronicle...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Happy Zora Neale Hurston Day! You got to go there to know there.
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
Gonna share this thread once more on this evening of another January 6th. Thinking about the histories, legacies, & conflicts in how we talk about patriotism is more vital than ever, & I've been doing that pretty consistently for the last 5 years! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social
Five years ago, I was preparing my first book talk for Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, forthcoming in March. January 6 needs tons of contexts, which so many folks are providing so impressively, but what we talk about when we talk about patriotism is high on the list. 🗃️+
January 6, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Gonna share this thread once more on this evening of another January 6th. Thinking about the histories, legacies, & conflicts in how we talk about patriotism is more vital than ever, & I've been doing that pretty consistently for the last 5 years! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Railton
Five years ago, I was preparing my first book talk for Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, forthcoming in March. January 6 needs tons of contexts, which so many folks are providing so impressively, but what we talk about when we talk about patriotism is high on the list. 🗃️+
January 6, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Five years ago, I was preparing my first book talk for Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, forthcoming in March. January 6 needs tons of contexts, which so many folks are providing so impressively, but what we talk about when we talk about patriotism is high on the list. 🗃️+
Five years ago, I was preparing my first book talk for Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, forthcoming in March. January 6 needs tons of contexts, which so many folks are providing so impressively, but what we talk about when we talk about patriotism is high on the list. 🗃️+
January 6, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Five years ago, I was preparing my first book talk for Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, forthcoming in March. January 6 needs tons of contexts, which so many folks are providing so impressively, but what we talk about when we talk about patriotism is high on the list. 🗃️+
What happens if we pair the famous Battle of Trenton with Moore's Creek Bridge, where revolutionaries fought not British troops but loyalists? What do Thomas Paine's pair of 1776 pamphlets tell us about shifting visions of America? Why should we remember July 1 as well as July 4? Read & find out! 🗃️
So for the first post in my 2026 Anniversaries blog series, on that pair of events & two other 1776 pairings that help us complicate our narratives of the Revolution’s most foundational & famous year on its 250th anniversary!
blackwhiteandread.com/january-5-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/january-5-20...
January 5, 2026: 2026 Anniversaries: Reframing 1776 – Black and White and Read All Over
[The start of a new year means my annual series on historic anniversaries. Leading up to a weekend post on some of what I’m planning for my Spring semester sabbatical!] On three pairs of events that c...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:55 PM
What happens if we pair the famous Battle of Trenton with Moore's Creek Bridge, where revolutionaries fought not British troops but loyalists? What do Thomas Paine's pair of 1776 pamphlets tell us about shifting visions of America? Why should we remember July 1 as well as July 4? Read & find out! 🗃️
As Trump proclaims the hemisphere as his & apparently makes plans for Cuba as the next stop in the Idiot Imperialism Imbroglio, I'd love all Americans to read José Martí's beautiful essay "Our America" (1892). A version of a shared hemispheric vision...
americanstudier.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-...
americanstudier.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-...
May 4, 2023: Hemispheric Histories: José Martí
[April 30 th marks the 75 th anniversary of the formal founding of the Organization of American States (OAS). So this week I’ll offer som...
americanstudier.blogspot.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
As Trump proclaims the hemisphere as his & apparently makes plans for Cuba as the next stop in the Idiot Imperialism Imbroglio, I'd love all Americans to read José Martí's beautiful essay "Our America" (1892). A version of a shared hemispheric vision...
americanstudier.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-...
americanstudier.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-...
Reposted by Ben Railton
For many years, I've complemented my Year in Review blog series with a New Year's one, highlighting & AmericanStudying a handful of historic anniversaries that we'll be commemorating in the upcoming year. It's a fun way to embody one of my most consistent goals, connecting our past to our present. 🗃️
January 5, 2026 at 4:55 PM
For many years, I've complemented my Year in Review blog series with a New Year's one, highlighting & AmericanStudying a handful of historic anniversaries that we'll be commemorating in the upcoming year. It's a fun way to embody one of my most consistent goals, connecting our past to our present. 🗃️
For many years, I've complemented my Year in Review blog series with a New Year's one, highlighting & AmericanStudying a handful of historic anniversaries that we'll be commemorating in the upcoming year. It's a fun way to embody one of my most consistent goals, connecting our past to our present. 🗃️
January 5, 2026 at 4:55 PM
For many years, I've complemented my Year in Review blog series with a New Year's one, highlighting & AmericanStudying a handful of historic anniversaries that we'll be commemorating in the upcoming year. It's a fun way to embody one of my most consistent goals, connecting our past to our present. 🗃️
Reposted by Ben Railton
What can we do against such reckless hate (& fascism)? Support & amplify public scholarly work that helps us understand where we are, where we've been, & what we can do. Please share as widely as possible, & thanks! @hcrichardson.bsky.social 🗃️
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 257 (1/4/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 (or today) might bring, but I can promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, ...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:43 AM
What can we do against such reckless hate (& fascism)? Support & amplify public scholarly work that helps us understand where we are, where we've been, & what we can do. Please share as widely as possible, & thanks! @hcrichardson.bsky.social 🗃️
What can we do against such reckless hate (& fascism)? Support & amplify public scholarly work that helps us understand where we are, where we've been, & what we can do. Please share as widely as possible, & thanks! @hcrichardson.bsky.social 🗃️
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 257 (1/4/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 (or today) might bring, but I can promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, ...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:43 AM
What can we do against such reckless hate (& fascism)? Support & amplify public scholarly work that helps us understand where we are, where we've been, & what we can do. Please share as widely as possible, & thanks! @hcrichardson.bsky.social 🗃️
Reposted by Ben Railton
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 257 (1/4/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 (or today) might bring, but I can promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, ...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:03 PM
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
Here’s today’s #ScholarSunday thread for your brunch edification. Please share widely to get all this great work to all the folks, thanks! @jbf1755.bsky.social 🗃️
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 257 (1/4/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 (or today) might bring, but I can promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, ...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Here’s today’s #ScholarSunday thread for your brunch edification. Please share widely to get all this great work to all the folks, thanks! @jbf1755.bsky.social 🗃️
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 257 (1/4/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 (or today) might bring, but I can promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, ...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:03 PM
There’s a lot I don’t know about what 2026 might bring, but I promise you this: the #ScholarSunday threads will continue! Here’s my 257th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
Hell of a day to teach Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" in my Winter session Sci Fi/Fantasy course. We've always had a dystopian side on which our more utopian ideals seem far too often to frustratingly depend, but we've got to acknowledge that past & present, & fight to change them.
January 4, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Hell of a day to teach Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" in my Winter session Sci Fi/Fantasy course. We've always had a dystopian side on which our more utopian ideals seem far too often to frustratingly depend, but we've got to acknowledge that past & present, & fight to change them.
Reposted by Ben Railton
This news shit is whack, so do some escapism for your own sake. It's not cheating to look away from literal chaos for a few hours.
It is cheating to mack on a hottie on a cruise when you have a partner tho, but Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are irresistible, so they filmed it beautifully. My latest:
It is cheating to mack on a hottie on a cruise when you have a partner tho, but Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are irresistible, so they filmed it beautifully. My latest:
DEFCON 1 Levels of Charisma – Black and White and Read All Over
A Formalist Approach to An Affair to Remember (1957)
blackwhiteandread.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:08 PM
This news shit is whack, so do some escapism for your own sake. It's not cheating to look away from literal chaos for a few hours.
It is cheating to mack on a hottie on a cruise when you have a partner tho, but Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are irresistible, so they filmed it beautifully. My latest:
It is cheating to mack on a hottie on a cruise when you have a partner tho, but Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are irresistible, so they filmed it beautifully. My latest:
I'm proud to share my latest AmericanStudier Guest Post, @sacredheartuniv.bsky.social undergrad Matt Dworkowitz on the fascinating, largely forgotten history of how chemotherapy was discovered at Yale Med School during WWII! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/guest-post-m...
blackwhiteandread.com/guest-post-m...
Guest Post: Matt Dworkowitz on World War II’s Best Kept Secret: The Discovery of Chemotherapy in New Haven – Black and White and Read All Over
[Matt Dworkowitz is a third year undergraduate student at Sacred Heart University, who majors in Health Science, and minors in American History and Chemistry. This past semester, Matt worked with Dr. ...
blackwhiteandread.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
I'm proud to share my latest AmericanStudier Guest Post, @sacredheartuniv.bsky.social undergrad Matt Dworkowitz on the fascinating, largely forgotten history of how chemotherapy was discovered at Yale Med School during WWII! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/guest-post-m...
blackwhiteandread.com/guest-post-m...
Reposted by Ben Railton
This piece is excellent for using Clue (1985) to think about the contemporary moment in which it as made. Highly recommend!
Also will recommend my own (very informal) review of Clue for what it has to say about the contextual moment in which it is set, 1954 with all its HUAC goodness.
Also will recommend my own (very informal) review of Clue for what it has to say about the contextual moment in which it is set, 1954 with all its HUAC goodness.
I wrote a new piece for TIME’s Made by History on one of my favorite films: #Clue! 🕵🏻♂️
I show how the film, set in 1950s during peak #McCarthyism, tells us more about the time it was created: the 1980s & new conservative movement.
If you’ve never seen this #cultclassic, check it out!
I show how the film, set in 1950s during peak #McCarthyism, tells us more about the time it was created: the 1980s & new conservative movement.
If you’ve never seen this #cultclassic, check it out!
The Surprisingly Profound History Lesson That Is 'Clue'
Based on a whodunit board game, the 1985 film is a perfect example of what pop culture can tell us about history.
time.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:47 PM
This piece is excellent for using Clue (1985) to think about the contemporary moment in which it as made. Highly recommend!
Also will recommend my own (very informal) review of Clue for what it has to say about the contextual moment in which it is set, 1954 with all its HUAC goodness.
Also will recommend my own (very informal) review of Clue for what it has to say about the contextual moment in which it is set, 1954 with all its HUAC goodness.
In my latest @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, I contextualized the Iraq & Afghanistan Wars with the numerous US occupations of Latin American nations across the 20C--two of Nicaragua, Haiti for 20 years, the DR just before Vietnam... +
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/12/cons...
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/12/cons...
Considering History: 10 Events That Shaped the First Quarter of the 21st Century | The Saturday Evening Post
American Studies Professor Ben Railton reminds us of historical events that offer context for ten of the most significant political, social, and cultural developments of the last two and a half decade...
www.saturdayeveningpost.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
In my latest @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, I contextualized the Iraq & Afghanistan Wars with the numerous US occupations of Latin American nations across the 20C--two of Nicaragua, Haiti for 20 years, the DR just before Vietnam... +
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/12/cons...
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/12/cons...
Reposted by Ben Railton
Re: Rugged individualism vs. Collectivism
I get why some would balk at the idea of rugged individualism being bad, it's drilled into us as a deeply American trait, but as I argue in my book, that individualism turned extreme post-WWII and is now no longer what the nation needs. We need each other.
I get why some would balk at the idea of rugged individualism being bad, it's drilled into us as a deeply American trait, but as I argue in my book, that individualism turned extreme post-WWII and is now no longer what the nation needs. We need each other.
Selling Out Santa
Christmas is not just a day or a frame of mind as Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) imparts in Miracle on 34th Street (1947); Christmas is also a vehicle for national mythmaking as an idealising mirror for ...
indiepubs.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Re: Rugged individualism vs. Collectivism
I get why some would balk at the idea of rugged individualism being bad, it's drilled into us as a deeply American trait, but as I argue in my book, that individualism turned extreme post-WWII and is now no longer what the nation needs. We need each other.
I get why some would balk at the idea of rugged individualism being bad, it's drilled into us as a deeply American trait, but as I argue in my book, that individualism turned extreme post-WWII and is now no longer what the nation needs. We need each other.
Happy Lucretia Coffin Mott Day & Anna May Wong Day! Take heart from the best of our past.
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
January Nominees
January 1: Alfred Stieglitz , one of America’s most innovative and significant photographer s and a deeply humanistic and powerful chronicle...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Happy Lucretia Coffin Mott Day & Anna May Wong Day! Take heart from the best of our past.
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
Reposted by Ben Railton
The demonization of Somalis is no different than the demonization of Haitians before the election. It's a political attack and has to be actively fought—not through half-measures or expressions of tepid concern but by demanding decency from society and respect for all of humanity.
January 2, 2026 at 8:24 PM
The demonization of Somalis is no different than the demonization of Haitians before the election. It's a political attack and has to be actively fought—not through half-measures or expressions of tepid concern but by demanding decency from society and respect for all of humanity.
Happy Isaac Asimov Day & Oscar Micheaux Day! Ain't that the best of American art?
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
January Nominees
January 1: Alfred Stieglitz , one of America’s most innovative and significant photographer s and a deeply humanistic and powerful chronicle...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com
January 2, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Happy Isaac Asimov Day & Oscar Micheaux Day! Ain't that the best of American art?
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/january-no...