History From Below

In this episode, Andrew Fehribach (Roosevelt Institute for American Studies), together with Gaetano Di Tommaso and Dario Fazzi, speaks with Marcus Rediker (Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh) about his seminal work in the blue humanities, including The Slave Ship, Outlaws of the Atlantic, and Freedom Ship.

Their conversation explores history from below, terracentrism, and the subversive potential of studying oceans not as dividers but as connectors. They also discuss what we mean by “marginalized” when referring to people, the ocean as a space of community and collective action, and ships and seas as places where history happens.

Looking ahead, Rediker reflects on the creative work of source-finding in blue humanities research and the need for continual invention in tracing lives and experiences that the archive often obscures. He emphasizes, above all, that this field is only just getting started.