American historian
@UTKnoxville
. Author of RED DEAD'S HISTORY (2024) and AGRARIAN CROSSINGS (2017). Hoping to make history meaningful to the wider world.
The incomparable Roger Clark (
@rclark98
) narrates from my new book RED DEAD’S HISTORY, out on 8/6. Join us on a journey through the real American history portrayed in the RDR games! In hardcover, e-book, or audiobook at all major retailers.
@MacmillanAudio
@StMartinsPress
Who says video games don’t belong in the classroom? I’m a history professor at
@UTKnoxville
. This fall, I’ll be teaching a new course titled “HIUS 383: Red Dead America,” exploring the historical reality behind
@RockstarGames
’ series. What kinds of topics will we be exploring? /1
Students in my "Red Dead History" class - the world's first college course to use the
#RDR
video games to teach American history - were shocked when I brought in two surprise visitors the day before Spring Break. See their reactions below!
@RisenChow
I'm a history professor at the University of Tennessee, and I'm currently researching and writing a book on this very topic! My main focus is on West Africa, East Asia, the Anglophone Caribbean, and India. Thanks for sharing these amazing videos!
It's finally here - RED DEAD'S HISTORY is officially out in the world! Pick up the beautiful
@StMartinsPress
hardcover in bookstores and online, or listen to the marvelous
@MacmillanAudio
audiobook, narrated by the one-and-only
@rclark98
. Video games can help teach us big things!
Can a fictional video game like
#RedDeadRedemption2
help you better understand the real drama of American history? With a little help, YES. I'm thrilled to partner with
@rclark98
on my book RED DEAD'S HISTORY, coming out on Aug. 6. Preorder your copy here:
Though often historically inaccurate, the games skillfully broach a number of crucial historical issues in the 1899-1911 period, such as:
-The frontier mythology and its long afterlife
-The expansion of monopoly capitalism and how railroads extended corporate power /2
Can a violent video game make you smarter? I’m a college history professor and say YES. Announcing my new book RED DEAD’S HISTORY, which uses the
#RedDeadRedemption
games to shed light on dark corners of America's past. Gamers & history buffs, preorder at
I am BEYOND excited to announce that the audiobook of RED DEAD'S HISTORY, which uses the
#RDR
video games to explore America's violent past, will be narrated by
@rclark98
, RDR2's lead actor.
Arthur Morgan wants to be your new American history teacher.
-The astounding inequalities in wealth that became obvious during the Gilded Age
-Settler colonialism and the dispossession of Native peoples
-The making of Jim Crow racial violence in the South
-The Mexican Revolution and its transnational impacts /3
-The memory of the Civil War and the making of the Lost Cause myth
-Women’s suffrage and its opponents
-American empire and the expansions of 1898
-The cosmopolitanism of the American population, including Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and German immigrants, among others /4
-Stereotypes of Appalachian degeneracy and poverty alongside the reality of corporate extraction and dispossession
-The privatization of law enforcement via the Pinkerton detective agency
-And MANY more - but in a nutshell, some of the biggest historical dilemmas of the era /5
Excited to share the just-finished syllabus for RED DEAD AMERICA, the first college class (as far as I know) to explore the real history behind
@RockstarGames
' Red Dead Redemption I and II. We kick off in two weeks at
@UTKnoxville
! View the whole doc here:
This was one of the most truly awesome hours of my life! THANKS so much to
@rclark98
for joining me, to
@MacmillanAudio
and
@Comic_Con
for inviting us, and to everyone who came out to the session!
#RedDeadRedemption2
was released exactly 5 years ago today, yet remains hugely popular - a rare accomplishment in the gaming world. Equally rare is the game's engagement with real American history. My forthcoming book RED DEAD'S HISTORY dives deep into what the game gets right -
ONE WEEK before Red Dead’s History comes out! Available in hardcover, ebook, or audiobook narrated by Roger Clark (RDR2’s Arthur Morgan). Yes, video games can help teach us big things! August 6….
Roger Clark, who plays Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, is set to narrate an audiobook that looks at American history through the lens of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption games.
Absolutely honored and thrilled to announce the happy news that my book AGRARIAN CROSSINGS has been awarded the 2019 Luciano Tomassini Latin American International Relations Book Award, granted by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). Totally in shock!!
TOMORROW is the day that RED DEAD'S HISTORY comes out into the world! Join me and audiobook narrator
@rclark98
as we explore the real and gritty America of the 1890s and 1910s that is depicted in the
#RedDeadRedemption
games.
So very proud of my very first PhD advisee,
@simpson_kait
, who in August will be an assistant professor of US history at the U of Louisiana @ Lafayette. Her eye-opening diss on the transnational history of the cut flower industry in US and Colombia will become an amazing book!
So very proud of my first PhD student,
@simpson_kait
, who defended her truly excellent diss yesterday on the cut flower industries of the US and Colombia - transnational history at its best. In August she’ll be an ass’t prof at the U of Louisiana - Lafayette. CONGRATS Kaitlin!!!
It was such a treat to go into the
@MacmillanAudio
studio in NYC with
@rclark98
for the recording of the RED DEAD'S HISTORY audiobook. Whether you're a fan of
#RDR2
or a lover of good history, we're just so excited to share this with you! Out on Aug. 6.
Still pinching myself but it does indeed appear to be true: my book AGRARIAN CROSSINGS was the recipient of the 2018 Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize from
@SHAFRHistorians
for best first book in the history of American foreign relations. I am stupendously honored and so thankful!
I'm honored to have my experimental class and book on American history and video games featured in the
@chronicle
this morning. Though for the record, history class has always been cool...
Did you love RED DEAD'S HISTORY so much that you want a signed copy? Here's an offer - DM me a selfie of you holding the book (or a screenshot of your new order!) and I'll mail you a personalized signed book plate that you can paste inside your book. My way of saying thanks!!
Grad students: are you writing a diss that touches upon rural or agricultural history in any time or place? Please apply to share your work at the
@AgHistorySoc
's 2023 Graduate Workshop, in June. $$$ for travel & best paper. Deadline is Nov. 1. Details @
I've spent the past year and a half hammering away on a massive review essay on the historiography of "The U.S. South in the World since 1865." Thrilled to announce that it's been accepted for publication in
@JourSouHist
, likely in print in 2021!
In less than 3 months, RED DEAD'S HISTORY will take you on a journey like none other - from the fictional world of the
#RedDeadRedemption
games to the real, bloody struggles that defined America from 1880 to 1920. Digital audio narrated by
@rclark98
!
Listen to Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan in
#RedDeadRedemption2
,
@rclark98
) narrate from my new book RED DEAD'S HISTORY, which uses the fictional content of the video games to explore the real drama of American history. Out now!
If you're curious about how video games can shed light on dark corners of American history, check out my new book inspired by the class! Best of all, the audiobook is narrated by
@rclark98
, RDR2's Arthur Morgan.
Here's your chance to win an early copy of RED DEAD'S HISTORY signed by myself and audiobook narrator
@rclark98
(RDR2's Arthur Morgan)! Simply sign up at . No purchase required, but you can preorder to make sure you get your copy. The book is out on Aug. 6!
Here's the magnificent
@rclark98
narrating another chunk of my new book RED DEAD'S HISTORY, now available in hardcover, e-book, or audiobook. Believe it or not, video games can help us understand some of the biggest dilemmas of US history.
@MacmillanAudio
Yes -
#RedDeadRedemption2
can help you learn SOUTHERN history, not just Western history. As
@rclark98
shows in this clip from my new book RED DEAD'S HISTORY, the game can help us understand the tense years of the New South (1870s-1930s). Get your copy now:
It's a big honor that my (and
@rclark98
)'s new book is
@amazon
's
#1
best selling video game book but also highly ironic because I need the
#2
book more than anything else, since I keep getting stomped in
@ELDENRING
Here’s
@rclark98
narrating another chunk of RED DEAD’S HISTORY, which the
@WSJ
called an “inspiring example of what can be done to bring the past to life in all its weirdness and complexity.” Out on Aug 6!
@MacmillanAudio
@StMartinsPress
Having a blast at
#AHA2024
and especially thrilled to see the
@MacmillanUSA
@StMartinsPress
booth with RED DEAD'S HISTORY both on their banner and with galley copies for display! And yes, my book covers just as much material as Graeber and Wengrow's DAWN OF EVERYTHING😉
Thrilled to announce that my book AGRARIAN CROSSINGS was awarded the William M. LeoGrande Prize for best book in US-Latin American relations published during the period 2016-17, granted by American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies. Super exciting!!
History teachers - curious about using
#videogames
in your classrooms but not sure where to start? Check out my open-access piece on teaching with
#RDR2
in the
@AmHistReview
, out today. Includes a lesson plan, syllabus, and even video from my classroom!
Hey
#SDCC
fans! On Saturday I'll be at
@Comic_Con
alongside the incredible
@rclark98
. Don't miss our 2-3 PM Q&A on how the
#RDR
video games can teach you American history. And from 12-1, we're signing copies of RED DEAD'S HISTORY and meeting fans!
#SDCC2024
#RedDeadRedemption2
@Rclark98
(
#RDR2
's Arthur Morgan) returns to the America of 1899 - but this time as your new favorite history teacher. What does this sound like? Listen to the first reveal of the RED DEAD'S HISTORY audiobook via
@GameRant
. The full thing is out on Aug 6!
Huge thanks to all of you pre-orderers who've helped make RED DEAD'S HISTORY a "
#1
New Release" in U.S. Civil War history on
@amazon
! Five days left before the big debut! See what all the fuss is about at
@StMartinsPress
@MacmillanAudio
History PhD students dissertating on the US in the world: please apply for
@SHAFRhistorians
' Marilyn Blatt Young Dissertation Completion fellowship! Due April 1. I'm honored to be serving on the review committee this year.
Hey
@Comic_Con
#SDCC2024
attendees - today, SATURDAY, is the day!
@rclark98
(RDRII's Arthur Morgan) and myself will make two appearances to promote my new book RED DEAD'S HISTORY (which Roger narrates). Book sale and signing 12-1 pm, booth 2802, Q&A panel is 2-3 pm, rm. 7AB.
Hey folks - mark your calendars - this Monday 8/26 at 4 pm EST, I'll be hosting a
@Reddit
AMA - ask me anything - about
#RedDeadRedemption2
and American history in the r/History and r/RedDeadRedemption communities. Link to come on Monday!
In June 2020 I will be helping to host the
@AgHistorySoc
annual meeting in Knoxville, TN! Please consider submitting a full panel or individual paper to the meeting. See formal Call for Papers here: . Come join us in Knoxville!!
Hey
#twitterstorians
: I'm giving away 3 free copies of my recent book. Just retweet, and winners will be chosen at random!
AGRARIAN CROSSINGS is a study of the entangled histories of the US and Mexico in the 20th c., emphasizing land struggles and food.
Very pleased to announce that my book AGRARIAN CROSSINGS has been named the co-winner of the Peter Dobkin Hall History of Philanthropy Book Prize from
@ARNOVA
! Hooray!
Looking for something new and eye-opening to watch tonight? Check out PBS's new documentary on Norman Borlaug, world hunger, and the social and ecological perils of globalizing industrial agriculture. I'm proud to be in the cast as a talking head! Airing at 8 pm EST tonight!
Preorder RED DEAD'S HISTORY in any format (including audio!) at
@BNBuzz
from 4/17/-4/19 and get 25% off with code PREORDER25. Only available to B&N members but free memberships are available at Already a member? Order your copy at:
A sneak preview of how I explore the Pinkertons and their place within industrial capitalism in RED DEAD’S HISTORY. If you’re curious to hear more, the book is out on Aug 6!
@StMartinsPress
@MacmillanAudio
If you're curious about how video games can help shed light on the American past - particularly southern history and Black history - check out this interview I did with
@LeonedaInge
for
@wunc
's DUE SOUTH show. I really enjoyed this conversation!
My experimental class on North American history via the Red Dead Redemption series has gotten some nice publicity and write-ups, but this article by
@UTKnoxville
student
@jakeywakeyy
on
@HistoryHit
might be the best! Check it out:
It was such a pleasure chatting with Kate at
@draftingthepast
about RED DEAD'S HISTORY, the craft of writing, and how to engage multiple audiences with serious history. Take a listen below!
New episode out now! I had a great time talking to Tore Olsson about how pandemic gaming changed (and didn't ruin!) his career, how he's reaching new audiences, and the fun of rediscovering some of his middle school writer's voice. Listen now:
ONLY FOUR DAYS LEFT! Win an advance copy of RED DEAD'S HISTORY, signed by myself and
@rclark98
, RDR2's Arthur Morgan. No purchase needed; 18+ US + Canada residents only. Good luck!! Click here:
At National Archives II in College Park, and was so thrilled to be able to personally (and gushingly) thank the archivist who, seven years ago, had helped me so much in finding the key documents that provided the foundation for my dissertation and book.
#thankanarchivist
Has the modern US South been defined by isolation from global currents? Stereotypes suggest so - yet recent scholarship debunks this myth. Read the details in my long-form review essay, published this month by
@JourSouHist
! Can’t wait to hear what you all think.
Want to join
@rclark98
(RDR2's Arthur Morgan) and myself for a discussion of how the
#RedDead
games can help you understand the real history of violence and lawlessness in the United States? Just preorder RED DEAD'S HISTORY and sign up below for an invite:
Hey Tennessee friends: you are warmly invited to the book launch for RED DEAD'S HISTORY this Thurs., Aug 15, 6 pm, at
@eastTNhistory
, 601 S. Gay St., Knoxville. We'll also be screening a
@LandGrantFilms
documentary about my class and book. RSVP at . Free!
I've spent all week doing interviews with indigenous country music artists and promoters from the Cordilleras of the northern Philippines and I don't think I've ever been so inspired or excited about historical research. I can't wait to share some of their stories.
One hobby I picked up during the pandemic, in addition to the cliched sourdough, is mushroom foraging. This morning in the woods of South Knoxville brought a bonanza of Chicken of the Woods! I know what we're eating the next few days!
Historians - if your work engages rural life/agriculture, organize a panel or submit a paper for the Ag History Society's 100th annual conference in June 2019, in Washington, DC! It will be a ultra-fantastic-mega-blowout festival.
Excited to share the just-finished syllabus for RED DEAD AMERICA, the first college class (as far as I know) to explore the real history behind
@RockstarGames
' Red Dead Redemption I and II. We kick off in two weeks at
@UTKnoxville
! View the whole doc here:
Had a blast at the
@AgHistorySoc
meeting in St. Pete this weekend and was so thrilled to receive their Theodore Saloutos Award for Agrarian Crossings. Having spent many years with this Society, this means so much to me!
#thatsaghistory
@JoanFloresVill1
@UTKnoxville
@RockstarGames
Hey Joan - great question! No, owning the game or a console/gaming PC won't be required, though I am working under assumption that most have played the game. I'll likely feature video footage or run it on my laptop here and there, but most of the class will semi-traditional...
Some of you who know me know that I've been a homebrewer for more than a decade. Somehow I have leveraged this into leading a historical brewing workshop at the University of Toronto next week. If you're in the area, join us!
Huge congrats to my colleague
@Winhistory24
, whose first book was published this week! If you study the US South, African American history, capitalism, civil rights - go buy and read this terrific book!
Hey
@UTKnoxville
video gamers and history buffs - curious about the Fall 2021 class "Red Dead America"? Join me and the
@utkesports
club on
@Twitch
on Thursday night at 9 pm for an informal "Ask the Professor" discussion about the class and what it will be like.
@utkhistory
We are going to try something new. A show we are calling "Ask the Professor"
First guest:
@ToreCarlOlsson
to talk about his fall course HIUS 383 (CRN 49774): Red Dead America, exploring how video games connect us to history.
🕘Thursday - 9PM ET
📺
Finally decided on the books I'll be teaching for my Fall RED DEAD AMERICA class. My 60 students will be reading
@kstephenprince
's "The Ballad of Robert Charles," Paul O'Hara's "Inventing the Pinkertons," and Mariano Azuela's "Los de abajo (The Underdogs)." Can't wait to start!
Knoxville folks: you are warmly invited to
@UTKhistory
's 2019 Jackson lecture, "How to Hide an Empire," by Daniel Immerwahr of Northwestern University, author of the national best-seller of the same name. Sept. 3, 5 pm, Strong Hall 101. Expect intellectual fireworks!
Headed to
#AHS2019
in DC and looking forward to seeing old and new friends! Especially excited to give a brand-new talk on "Listening to Dolly Parton in 1980s Nigeria" on Thursday. Can't wait to share what I've been working on!
I spoke with the
@AmHistReview
's "History in Focus" podcast about the rewards and challenges of teaching a serious history course using the
#RedDeadRedemption
games. It's a nice companion piece to the December issue of the AHR. Listen in below:
Preorder RED DEAD'S HISTORY in any format from
@BNBuzz
from 1/24-1/26 and get 25% off with code PREORDER25. Discount only available to B&N members but free memberships are available at Already a member? Order your copy at:
If you’re a journalist, podcaster, streamer, etc and are curious about how video games can help us learn big ideas (especially history), reach out to me! I always enjoy doing interviews. DM me here or shoot an email to colsson
@utk
.edu
Just a reminder - if you entered the preorder promotion to join Roger Clark and myself to chat about RED DEAD'S HISTORY (now closed, unfortunately), that conversation will be happening TONIGHT! Check your email for all the details, coming from St. Martin's Press.
Want to join
@rclark98
(RDR2's Arthur Morgan) and myself for a discussion of how the
#RedDead
games can help you understand the real history of violence and lawlessness in the United States? Just preorder RED DEAD'S HISTORY and sign up below for an invite:
Very proud of my doctoral student
@simpson_kait
, who just received her first external funding (from the
@EconHistAssoc
) to travel to Colombia to research the history of the cut flower trade in the Americas. Congrats Kaitlin!
University of Tennessee gamers will be excited to hear that the History Department is holding a new and innovative course during the fall 2021 semester emphasizing video games and how they alter perceptions and understanding of the past.
I am so excited about the
@AmHistReview
's new
#AHRSYllabus
project, debuting in the brand-new issue of the journal. For the first time since the AHR's founding in 1895, creative teaching is front and center in history's most important journal. About time, right?
The AHR’s September issue is now available! With the new
#AHRSyllabus
project and articles exploring indigeneity in the ancient world and 17th-century Philippines; Cold War–era Africa, China, & Soviet Union; & the arms trade and revolution in the Americas.
@GameRant
I'm the author of this book and am SO honored to have worked with Roger on the project. He does SUCH an amazing job. Can't wait for Aug. 6, when this finally comes out in the world! Gamers, history buffs - check it out!
Want to read some of my very favorite historians give their take on AGRARIAN CROSSINGS? This morning my book gets the
@HDiplo
roundtable treatment. With huge thanks to all who participated, including
@JulieWeise
and
@llchristyll
!