David Avrom Bell
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davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell
@davidavrombell.bsky.social
1.9K followers 280 following 220 posts

Historian, writer, New Yorker

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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%
Posts Replies Media Videos

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · 1d
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · 5d
www.chronicle.com/article/why-...
Opinion | Why Harvard Students Are Afraid of B’s
For many students at elite colleges, anything less than excellence feels like failure.
www.chronicle.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · 8d
New column: On grade inflation and university culture today.

davidabell.substack.com/p/no-a-for-e...
No A for Effort
A friend of mine once told me that on his first day at Stanford Law School, the dean greeted the incoming students with an unsettling remark: “I’m sorry to tell you this, but half of you are about to ...
davidabell.substack.com

Reposted by David A. Bell, James Goodwin, Markus W. Gehring

samuelmoyn.bsky.social
Samuel Moyn @samuelmoyn.bsky.social · 11d
Sigh www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...
Opinion | Resistance to Trump Isn’t Enough
www.nytimes.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · 17d
A new essay of mine on the situation in France: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
France has survived revolutions and wars: its crisis now is deep, but not terminal | David A Bell
From the raid on the Louvre to the spectacle of Sarkozy in jail, it is tempting to think France is on a downward spiral. But history tells the tale of its resilience, says historian David A Bell
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by David A. Bell

nybooks.com
The New York Review of Books @nybooks.com · 19d
David A. Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social on the Enlightenment  and race
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.
buff.ly

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · 23d
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · 25d
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

daveweigel.bsky.social
Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 27d
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXQ...
I Tracked Down The Company Ruining Restaurants
YouTube video by More Perfect Union
www.youtube.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Oct 12
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Sep 26
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Sep 20
The Power of Political Martyrdom

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
The Power of Political Martyrdom
In the days after the murder of Charlie Kirk, pictures of Horst Wessel started to circulate on social media.
open.substack.com

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Sep 15
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Sep 14
The Myth of Faculty "Indoctrination"
davidabell.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
The Myth of Faculty "Indoctrination"
Of all the foolish things posted online by prominent people last week, perhaps the most foolish came from the veteran far-right journalist and agitator Dinesh D’Souza.
davidabell.substack.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Sep 6
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Sep 2
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Aug 26
newrepublic.com/article/1995...
I Visit Israel Every Summer. I’ve Never Seen Hopelessness Like This.
The slaughter of Palestinians continues. Most Israelis hate the war and their government. But a tiny right-wing faction controls all.
newrepublic.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Aug 26
“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

durba.bsky.social
Durba Mitra @durba.bsky.social · Aug 24
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Aug 15
We have another contender for Nuttiest Republican Office-Holder, and, folks, I think this one may be a winner.
x.com/shadowofezra...
x.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Aug 13
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.

Reposted by David A. Bell, Anita Guerrini, Andrew Jacobs , and 2 more

memorients.bsky.social
Medieval and Early Modern Orients (MEMOs) @memorients.bsky.social · Aug 13
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Aug 2
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

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Jul 30
She is the close-minded one, of course. And simple-minded, as well.

Reposted by David A. Bell

ericweinberger.bsky.social
Eric Weinberger @ericweinberger.bsky.social · Jul 30
From @davidavrombell.bsky.social substack. There's a price not just Columbia, or Harvard, pays for buckling - all Americans do when illegal means of enforcement are by them legitimized

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Jul 30
That’s his method. See here: “Government by Extortion”

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Government by Extortion
Six months in, the contours of Trump 2.0 are coming into sharper relief.
open.substack.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Jul 30
My take on Trump 2.0 at six months: neither fascism nor business-as-usual but government by extortion.

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Government by Extortion
Six months in, the contours of Trump 2.0 are coming into sharper relief.
open.substack.com

Reposted by John Horgan, David A. Bell, David Spencer , and 1 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Jul 28
New, from an anonymous NIH insider: Trump is being pushed to spend more NIH money. The White House is ordering NIH to do multi-year budgets for awards. This budget trick means fewer awards, fewer labs funded, and lower paylines for researchers. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/alert-the-...
Alert: The Trump administration is quietly slashing new NIH grant awards, and it's not via the budget
NIH’s sudden move to multiyear grant funding is forcing shocking cuts in the number of grants funded. This is an effective budget cut. It's bad, folks.
donmoynihan.substack.com

Reposted by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
David Avrom Bell @davidavrombell.bsky.social · Jul 27
The ignorance shown by Vought here is breathtaking m, if not surprising.