Laura Mitchell: South Africa, Freedom Day, Nelson Mandela, and Advice For Young Historians

Professor Laura Mitchell is an associate professor in the History School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine. In 2001, she got her Ph.D. from UCLA in African History. Her research interests include Sub-Saharan Africa; South Africa; Dutch East India Company; colonialism; environment; labor & slavery; family & household formation.  In this episode, we discuss advice for young historians, Freedom Day in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, and his impact on South Africa, and the world today.

Considering how broad the field of economics is, it can be difficult for young economists to figure out how to learn, what to learn, whom to learn from, and more.  Having a mentor who guides you is always extremely helpful. Hence, in this episode, we bring to you wisdom from not one, not two, but three mentors: Benjamin Hoffner-Brodsky, Gaurang Goel, and Tarun Timalsina, three upperclassmen studying economics at Harvard College. We discuss a variety of topics from their experiences at Harvard, importance of behavioral and political economics, the future of India's economy, open-source learning, and their advice for young budding economists! Links to resources mentioned in this episode: https://tidingsmedia.org/blog/harvard-economics-resource-list

Judi Rever is a Canadian author and journalist born in Montreal, and raised in Quebec. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Western University and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism from Ryerson University. In later years, she completed a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. In 1993 she worked briefly for an arts and cultural affairs program at CBC radio. In 1996, Ms. Rever joined Radio France Internationale’s Africa desk and was sent into the field to cover historical events. Her book In Praise of Blood: Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front analyzes the tragic Rwandan genocide, and the failure of the United Nations to control, and prevent mass murder. For more information on her work, please visit her website here. In this episode, we talk about her journey to journalism, her experience as a writer, and lessons from the Rwandan genocide. 

Professor Elliot Neaman works at the Univerity of San Francisco in California. He specializes in Modern Germany, the Holocaust, Late Modern Intellectual History, post-1945 Global history, European Diplomatic and Economic History, and the methodology of the historical sciences. He wrote a book called A Dubious Past about German writer Ernst Jünger, which was published by the UC Press in 1992. He has co-edited two other books and is currently working on a book about the Counter-Culture and the Cold War in post-World War II Germany, as well as a textbook of Modern Intellectual History.  In this episode, we discuss the life, actions, and reputation of Adolf Hitler. Professor Neaman explains the impact he’s created on Germany post-World War II, and how his actions left a mark on the world.  Additionally, he shares his opinion on what one event he thinks coming historians will be discussing in the future.

Dr. Robert Johnson serves as President of the Institute for New Economic Thinking and is one of the most renowned economists globally. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Soros Fund Management where he managed a global currency, bond, and equity portfolio specializing in emerging markets. Robert Johnson was an Executive Producer of the Oscar winning documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side, directed by Alex Gibney, and is the former President of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of both the Economic Policy Institute and the Campaign for America’s Future. He received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Princeton University and a B.S. in both Electrical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Johnson's journey with economics, his favorite economics class at Princeton, history's importance in economics, why he founded INET, and his advice for all young economists.

The Tidings Podcast: Where Gen Z discusses economics, history, and everything in between!