The Consolations of History

This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Teofilo Ruiz, Professor Emeritus of History at UCLA. Teo Ruiz is a scholar of the social and popular cultures of late medieval and early modern Spain and the Western Mediterranean. He received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for his “inspired teaching and writing”. This wide-ranging conversation provides captivating insights into his Cuban origins, how he became a professional historian, the challenges and excitement of teaching, and what the future might hold for historical research..


This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, In the Marrow, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

I. The Terror of History - The story of a book
II. Becoming a Historian- From Cuba to City College to NYU to Princeton
III. Historical Ruminations - Meditations on the bigger picture
IV. Progress? - Do we actually learn from the past?
V. Connecting - Technology and personal factors
VI. Looking Ahead - Pondering history’s future



About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:


This book is part of an expanding series of 100+ Ideas Roadshow conversations, each one presenting a wealth of candid insights from a leading expert through a focused yet informal setting to give non-specialists a uniquely accessible window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be encountered through standard lectures and textbooks.