HNN Hot Topics: The Return of Michael Bellesiles
Michael A. Bellesiles is back in the news after a nearly seven-year hiatus. HNN first brought you news of Mr. Bellesiles's new book, 1877: America’s Year of Living Violentlyback in May, when controversy erupted over a provocatively-worded press jacket. Mr. Bellesiles contributed an op-ed to HNN that same month in connection with his book, and at the end of June penned a far more controversial piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education about teaching military history to a student of his whose half-brother was killed in Afghanistan. A Chronicle investigation of the article, prompted by claims on the article's comments board and elsewhere, determined that the student had"fabricated several details in the story" and that"Mr. Bellesiles said he was saddened that his student had altered the details of a personal tragedy and that he regretted that he had unknowingly passed on a story that was not accurate."
Two major articles on Mr. Bellesiles were published on August 3, in the New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education, respectively. You can read them here and here.
Recent Controversies
- CHE: Michael Bellesiles Takes Another Shot
- NYT: Michael A. Bellesiles Tries to Live Down Scholarly Scandal
- Michael A. Bellesiles: Teaching Military History in a Time of War
- Scott McLemee: Amazing Disgrace [of Michael Bellesiles]
- Michael A. Bellesiles: The Year 1877 Looks Awfully Familiar Today
- David T. Beito: The"New Bellesiles"
- David A. Walsh: Michael Bellesiles is Back with a New Book