Conversations with History (Audio)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Marion Nestle, Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition at New York University. Professor Nestle reflects on the evolution of her thinking on the interplay between nutrition studies and the politics of food. She discusses the environment of the food industry producing in a highly competitive environment where profits are paramount and public health is not a priority. Advertising and lobbying are important tools at their service as they confront food activists focused on public health, environment, and social justice. Professor Nestle also analyzes the role of government in choosing between re-enforcing the status quo or changing the landscape of food production through funding, regulation, and education. Finally, she offers advice to students preparing for the future. Series: "Conversations with History" [Show ID: 32225]

Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, describes the uniqueness of human beings. Pinker discusses three distinct human traits which have led to the age of man. Series: "Conversations with History" [Show ID: 32041]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes historian Niall Ferguson of the Hoover Institution who is the 2016 Underhill Lecturer at Berkeley. After discussing the importance of Anglo-American Studies and the wave of populism sweeping the West, including Brexit and the Trump phenomena, the conversation turns to an in depth look at Ferguson’s recent book, “Kissinger, 1923-1969, The Idealist.” Ferguson details the evolution of Kissinger’s thinking about international affairs up until the time he assumes the position of national security advisor to President Nixon. He chronicles the influence of mentors (Kraemer and Elliot), the impact of experience (service in military intelligence and Harvard education) and the evidence of Kissinger’s writings on international order and on nuclear weapons. The conversation concludes by highlighting the themes that emerge from Kissinger’s intellectual evolution in the period before he assumes power. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 31595]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harvard Professor Annette Gordon-Reed for a discussion of her work as a lawyer/historian focusing on the contradictions in the life of Thomas Jefferson. Topics covered in the conversation include how her training as a lawyer empowered her to overturn the conventional historical view of the relationship between Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Professor Gordon-Reed highlights the racism embedded in Jeffersonian historiography; ignoring, for example, factual evidence, which confirmed that Jefferson was the father of Sally Heming’s children. In examining the evolution of Jefferson’s ideas on slavery, Professor Gordon-Reed emphasizes how Jefferson’s theory of slavery evolved as he adapted to the reality of American social and political life. She concludes with an the implications of her work for understanding the present turmoil over black/ white relations in the U.S. today. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 31519]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes filmmaker Oliver Stone for a discussion of his career as director, screenwriter, and producer. Stone describes formative experiences, talks about different aspects of the filmmaking process including working with actors, writing screenplays, and postproduction. He focuses on the themes that have drawn him, and emphasizes the distinction between a historian and dramatist who works with historical materials. He concludes with a discussion of recent works including Alexander and the 10-part documentary on The Untold History of the United States. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 30881]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Didier Fassin, James D. Wolfensohn Professor, School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, for a discussion of the interplay between ethnography and theory in understanding public institutions such as policing and prisons and international engagement such as humanitarianism. Fassin explains how immersion in these public institutions and endeavors when combined with sociological theory and history, highlights the disjunction between reality and avowed purpose and intention of participants. Emphasizing the importance of social inequality, the impact of history, and the displacement of goals, Fassin explores: What is police conduct like in a banlieue of Paris? What is the relationship between the judicial system and the penal system? What is the impact of an emphasis on compassion and suffering in humanitarian reasoning and governance? Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 30563]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Ralph J. Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences, for a discussion of the challenges facing the scientific community. Cicerone describes his research interests and explains the qualities of a scientist and what makes science a unique enterprise. He also focuses on leadership in science discussing his work at UC Irvine to establish a department of geosciences and his goals as President of the National Academy of Science and Chair of the National Research Council. He reflects on his work on, “Climate Change Science: An Analysis on Some Key Questions,” which he chaired-and delivered in one month-in 2001. Cicerone also considers the problem of the politicization of the climate change debate and concludes with positive signs that over time the international community will confront the challenges posed by climate change. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 30561]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor V.S. Ramachandran, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego, for a discussion of his research on the brain. Professor Ramachandran describes his formative experiences, the richly textured methodology that forms his approach to the study of the brain, insights he has gained from studying phantom limbs, mirror neurons and synesthesia. He concludes with speculation on the origins of creativity and consciousness. Series: "Conversations with History" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 30562]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Berkeley’s 2016 HarvEst Distinguished Women Lecturer, Frances Dinkelspiel, for a discussion of her work as an author and journalist. Dinkelspiel reflects on the skills and temperament required in journalism and highlights the particular challenges posed by online journalism. She describes the history of Berkeleyside, the online news site she founded to cover the city of Berkeley. The conversation includes a discussion of her book on her great grandfather Isaias Hellman, an important banker in the founding of the California economy. Tangled Vines, her book on the California wine industry is also discussed. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 30560]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes India’s distinguished journalist Rajdeep Sardesai for a discussion of how India is changing and how a changing news media reports its story. Sardesai reflects on the evolution of his career and the lessons he has learned about covering politics in India. He describes the importance of the 2014 national elections. Sardesai also compares Modi the candidate and Modi the Prime Minister emphasizing political style, strengths and weaknesses, and the major challenges facing India. Sardesai concludes with advice to students interested in India. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 30390]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes seismologist Lucy Jones for a discussion of science, natural disasters and public education. Topics covered: the trajectory of her career, attributes of a scientist, earthquake prediction, science education, and effective communication between scientists and the public. The conversation concludes with lessons learned. Series: "Conversations with History" [Science] [Show ID: 30204]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Jan Assmann, Honorary Professor of Cultural and Religious Studies at the University of Constance, for a discussion of his career as a Egyptologist and scholar of comparative religions. After reflections on his formative years in a German medieval town suffering from the ravages of World War II and its aftermath, Assmann describes the community of Egyptologists and the intellectual influences that shaped his scholarship. He also characterizes the intellectual joys and hardships of field research in ancient tombs. Finally, he touches on some of the themes of his scholarship including the evolution of ideas that characterize religious change; comparison of Moses and Akhenaten; and the importance of writing, canonization, and exegesis to cultural memory and the resilience and survival of religions. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 30173]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yale Law School Professor John Fabian Witt for a discussion of the craft of legal history. Topics covered include: understanding context in legal narratives; nationalism and cosmopolitanism in the evolution of civil liberties and tort law; and the importance of slavery, emancipation, and the established laws of nations in the making of Lincoln’s Code, a revolutionary change in U.S. laws of war. The conversation concludes with thoughts on how legal history could inform a discussion of the sharing economy’s impact on the law Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 30077]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Paul Goldberger for a discussion of his intellectual journey, architecture, the role of the critic, and the importance of the city. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29579]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Lord Patten of Barnes, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, for a discussion of the challenges facing political leaders as they manage domestic politics charged with nationalism in an interdependent world. Focusing on the case of the United Kingdom, Lord Patten analyzes these forces and their impact on leadership, on political choices, and on the conduct of elections. He discusses the May, 2015 British elections comparing the leadership styles of Thatcher, Blair, and Cameron. He also analyzes Europe’s relations with China and Russia. He concludes with advice for students as they prepare for the future. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 29643]