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David A. Bell

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David Avrom Bell is an American historian specializing in French history. In 2025, he was elected to the American Philosophical… more

H-index: 27
History 34%
Engineering 17%
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
Why the idea of “vaccine choice” is based on a dangerous misconception of what parents can control (by my better half):

www.wsj.com/health/why-v...
Essay | Why Vaccines Work Best When We’re Young
Parents concerned about vaccinating their babies deserve to know why doctors recommend it.
www.wsj.com
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by David A. Bell — Reposted by: Fabián Muniesa

davidavrombell.bsky.social
The Power of Political Martyrdom

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
The Power of Political Martyrdom
In the days after the murder of Charlie Kirk, pictures of Horst Wessel started to circulate on social media.
open.substack.com
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by David A. Bell — Reposted by: Fabián Muniesa

davidavrombell.bsky.social
A new piece of mine in the Chronicle. Yes, it's stating the obvious. Sadly, the obvious needs to be stated.
www.chronicle.com/article/the-... (also available on my Substack w/out paywall: davidabell.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...).
Opinion | The Myth of Faculty Indoctrination
Charlie Kirk’s killing has reignited a right-wing canard.
www.chronicle.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
The Myth of Faculty "Indoctrination"
davidabell.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
The Myth of Faculty "Indoctrination"
Of all the foolish things posted online by prominent people last week, perhaps the most foolish came from the veteran far-right journalist and agitator Dinesh D’Souza.
davidabell.substack.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
France will be in the headlines this week, with a no-confidence vote Monday and a national day of action (“Bloquons tout”) Wednesday. Here’s my take on why President Macron’s leadership led to this. And please consider subscribing to my free newsletter.

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Macron's Fatal Misreading of History
Next Monday, the French government is almost certain to fall, pushing France into a renewed political crisis.
open.substack.com

by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
How Macron has been undone by his own self-serving reading of French history:
davidabell.substack.com/p/macrons-fa...
Macron's Fatal Misreading of History
Next Monday, the French government is almost certain to fall, pushing France into a renewed political crisis.
davidabell.substack.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/1995...
I Visit Israel Every Summer. I’ve Never Seen Hopelessness Like This.
The slaughter of Palestinians continues. Most Israelis hate the war and their government. But a tiny right-wing faction controls all.
newrepublic.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
“A profoundly unpopular government is at war with its own people. It is corrupt, immoral, and taking Israel to a place of extremes, where there is might at the expense of morals; messianism at the expense of humanity and hope.” Extraordinary piece by @jo-ann.bsky.social in @newrepublic.com.
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Reposted by: David A. Bell

durba.bsky.social
thank u to @itihaasnaama.bsky.social for recommending my new book The Future That Was alongside these amazing authors @kalramnath.bsky.social @abalasub.bsky.social 🥰💕 youtube.com/shorts/S99MW...
ये किताबें पढ़कर इतिहास के सारे बवाल समझ आ जाएंगे| Book Recommendations
YouTube video by The Lallantop
youtube.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
We have another contender for Nuttiest Republican Office-Holder, and, folks, I think this one may be a winner.
x.com/shadowofezra...
x.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
A cover letter plus a research statement, a teaching statement, a diversity statement and a writing sample? Talk about overkill. I have run a lot of faculty searches and can say from experience that you don’t need all this.
memorients.bsky.social
Medieval and Early Modern Orients (MEMOs) @memorients.bsky.social · Aug 13
Pomona College - Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History):

memorients.com/news/pomona-...
Pomona College - Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History) | MEMOs
Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History) - California, USA
memorients.com
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Reposted by: David A. Bell, Anita Guerrini, Andrew Jacobs , and 2 more

memorients.bsky.social
Pomona College - Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History):

memorients.com/news/pomona-...
Pomona College - Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History) | MEMOs
Assistant Professor of History (Early Modern European History) - California, USA
memorients.com
17 8

by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
My newest piece for the @nytimes, on the similarities and differences between the AI revolution and the Enlightenment, and what the latter shows about the dangers of the former: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
Opinion | A.I. Is Not a 21st-Century Enlightenment
www.nytimes.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
She is the close-minded one, of course. And simple-minded, as well.
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Reposted by: David A. Bell

ericweinberger.bsky.social
From @davidavrombell.bsky.social substack. There's a price not just Columbia, or Harvard, pays for buckling - all Americans do when illegal means of enforcement are by them legitimized
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
That’s his method. See here: “Government by Extortion”

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Government by Extortion
Six months in, the contours of Trump 2.0 are coming into sharper relief.
open.substack.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
My take on Trump 2.0 at six months: neither fascism nor business-as-usual but government by extortion.

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Government by Extortion
Six months in, the contours of Trump 2.0 are coming into sharper relief.
open.substack.com
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Reposted by: David A. Bell, John Horgan, David Spencer , and 1 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
New, from an anonymous NIH insider: Trump is being pushed to spend more NIH money. The White House is ordering NIH to do multi-year budgets for awards. This budget trick means fewer awards, fewer labs funded, and lower paylines for researchers. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/alert-the-...
Alert: The Trump administration is quietly slashing new NIH grant awards, and it's not via the budget
NIH’s sudden move to multiyear grant funding is forcing shocking cuts in the number of grants funded. This is an effective budget cut. It's bad, folks.
donmoynihan.substack.com
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Reposted by: David A. Bell

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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
The ignorance shown by Vought here is breathtaking m, if not surprising.

by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
"The universities have… in effect, declared war on millions of Americans." On the Manhattan Institute's appalling "Statement on Higher Education": davidabell.substack.com/p/derangement
Derangement
Twenty-two years ago, the conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer coined the term “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to describe what he saw as the left’s unthinking, hysterical hatred of President George...
davidabell.substack.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
On "university derangement syndrome":
davidabell.substack.com/p/derangement
Derangement
Twenty-two years ago, the conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer coined the term “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to describe what he saw as the left’s unthinking, hysterical hatred of President George...
davidabell.substack.com

by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
Jo Ann Mort gets it right on Mamdani and the Middle East.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What should Jewish New Yorkers make of Zohran Mamdani? | Beth Miller and Jo-Ann Mort
Jo-Ann Mort and Beth Miller go head to head on Zohran Mamdani
www.theguardian.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
Belgian engineers have discovered a powerful, transformative technology for transportation over short distances. Revolutionary.

youtu.be/EAkm773d7RQ?...
Les Pieds
YouTube video by Bruxelles Mobilité - Brussel Mobiliteit
youtu.be
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
The problem is it’s a lot more than $400m. They have billions more in federal funding frozen, and if they can’t get that back the university will collapse. They are really between a rock and a hard place.
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
New newsletter:

davidabell.substack.com/p/houses-div...
Houses Divided
Five years ago, amidst the protests that followed the killing of George Floyd, three hundred of my Princeton colleagues signed a remarkable letter, addressed to the university’s top officials.
davidabell.substack.com
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
Rank in order of importance:
* Trump bombing Iran
* Continuing horror in Gaza
* Gutting of US welfare state
* Destruction of American science
* Uncontrolled global warming
* Mamdani's college application
* Massively exploding federal deficits
* Massively expanding inequality
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Reposted by: David A. Bell, Shannon Vallor, Juliet B. Schor , and 2 more

yasharali.bsky.social
BREAKING

The University of Pennsylvania has come to an agreement with the Trump administration on what the Department of Education said was its Title IX violations.

This will include stripping trans athlete Lia Thomas of her records, titles, and recognitions.
• UPenn will restore to female athletes all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions which were misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories; • UPenn will issue a public statement to the University community stating that it will comply with Title IX, specifying that UPenn will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs or occupy Penn Athletics female intimate facilities; • The statement will specify that UPenn will adopt biology-based definitions for the words 'male' and 'female' pursuant to Title IX and consistent with President Trump's Executive Orders "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism" and "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports"; • UPenn will post the statement in a prominent location on its main website and on each of its websites for women's athletics; • UPenn will rescind any guidance which violated Title IX, remove or revise any internal and public-facing statements or documents that are inconsistent with Title IX, and notify all staff and women's athletics of all such rescissions; and • UPenn will send a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer.
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by Daniel W. Drezner — Reposted by: David A. Bell, Matthew Bunn, Alison Johnson

ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
In the past 24 hours, Trump’s threatened Elon Musk, Thomas Massie, Japan, a judge in Israel, the CEO of AT&T, Jerome Powell, Canada, Thom Tillis, a Forbes reporter, Harvard, & migrants with being eaten by Burmese pythons in the Everglades, while releasing a new line of colognes.
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by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
New newsletter: On Academic Productivity:

davidabell.substack.com/p/on-academi...
On Academic Productivity
Over the next few months, anxious professors in the United States will compile tenure and promotion dossiers.
davidabell.substack.com

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