An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

46. Culture Wars

April 26, 2021

Description

The battle lines are drawn as Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook get involved in this most timely of subjects. They discuss the historical significance of culture wars from Ancient Rome to the US...
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Books Referenced

Heretics and Reformers

Author: Peter Marshall

Context:

Dominic mentions reading this book while writing about Henry VIII during the lockdown period around the George Floyd protests. He describes it as 'one of the best history books I think I've ever read about the English reformation' and notes the parallels between Reformation-era conflicts and modern culture wars.

The English and Their History

Author: Robert Toombs

Context:

Dominic cites this book when arguing that British/English politics has always had a cultural dimension, with Robert Toombs arguing that there has always been a religious gap between Tories/conservatives (Church of England) and the liberal left-wing tendency (driven by religious non-conformity and dissent).

Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America

Author: James Davison Hunter

Context:

Dominic references this 1991 book by the American sociologist as 'the book that enshrines the term culture wars.' He discusses Hunter's argument about the clash between 'the orthodox and the progressive' in American society. The book being referenced is likely 'Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America' though the title is not explicitly stated.