The Clio Dialogues
Discover the Past That Shapes Our Present

The Clio Dialogues is a history podcast dedicated to exploring how the past continues to shape the world we live in today.

Recent Episodes

14
Oct. 22, 2026

Bodies of Evidence: What Women Lost to Modern Medicine | Felicity Turner | Proving Pregnancy

In this episode, historian Felicity Turner joins The Clio Dialogues host Jennifer Robin Terry to discuss ๐˜—๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜—๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜บ: ๐˜Ž๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ, ๐˜“๐˜ข๐˜ธ, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜”๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜’๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜•๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ-๐˜Š๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜ˆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ข.


They talk about nineteenth-century infanticide investigations in which womenโ€™s experience, expertise, and testimony regarding pregnancy and childbirth, before all-male juries, was key to the process. But as medicine professionalized, authority shifted toward licensed male physicians, and with it, women los
13
Oct. 13, 2026

Gibraltar: The Rock Between Worlds | Geoffrey Plank, The Last Place in Europe

Historian Geoffrey Plank joins Jennifer Robin Terry to discuss his new book, The Last Place in Europe: A History of Gibraltar, and how one tiny territory became a crossroads of empires, cultures, commerce, and contested borders. Gibraltar has almost no natural resources, yet empires have fought over this tiny territory for centuries. Its importance lies in its geography, where Europe meets Africa and the Mediterranean opens into the Atlantic. Geoffrey Plank traces this contested crossroads fr
12
Oct. 6, 2026

Sanctuary: How an Ancient Idea Became a Modern Movement | Sergio Gonzรกlez & Lloyd Barba | Sanctuary in America

Historians Sergio M. Gonzรกlez and Lloyd D. Barba join Jennifer Robin Terry on The Clio Dialogues to discuss their book, Sanctuary in America: How Activists Defied the Government and Defended Immigrantsโ€”And Why It Still Matters. They explore how an ancient tradition of sacred refuge became a modern movement challenging state power. In 1982, congregations began opening their doors to Salvadorans and Guatemalans fleeing political violence, even as the U.S. government denied them asylum. Facing a
11
Sept. 29, 2026

American Made, Hollywood Spin: A Wider Angle on the American Working Class | Aimee Loiselle | Beyond Norma Rae

One of Hollywoodโ€™s most enduring symbols of worker activism came about when actress Sally Field stood alone on a factory table, handwritten "UNION" sign held high above her head. That table moment really happened. But as labor historian Dr. Aimee Loiselle reveals, the true story behind the 1979 Academy Award film Norma Rae was a multi-racial, collective movementโ€”not a lone white hero's crusade. In this episode of The Clio Dialogues history podcast, host Jennifer Robin Terry speaks with Aimee
10
Sept. 22, 2026

Beyond the Frontier Myth: The Complicated West | Megan Kate Nelson | The Westerners

Historian Megan Kate Nelson joins Jennifer Robin Terry to discuss The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier and how the complicated lives of the people who inhabited the American West challenge one of the nationโ€™s most enduring myths. The popular story of the American West is deceptively simple: white settlers in wagons moving steadily toward the Pacific. The historical reality, however, was a vast network of competing ambitions, shared spaces, and multi-directional jo
9
Sept. 15, 2026

Coffeehouse Confessions: Love, Sex, and Advice in 1690s London | Mary Beth Norton | I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer

Acclaimed historian Mary Beth Norton joins host Jennifer Robin Terry to discuss her book, I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer: Letters on Love & Marriage from the World's First Personal Advice Column, and the surprisingly modern history of relationship advice, courtship, heartbreak, and ghosting. In 1691, London printer John Dunton launched the Athenian Mercuryโ€”a broadsheet originally intended as a 17th-century version of "Google" or "Wikipedia" for coffeehouse patrons. But before long, readers b

Reviews

Great nuance & complexity

"This podcast is so refreshing since every episode is a conversation with a scholar who has taken a deep dive into their topic of interest and we are the lucky recipients! Also the host asks wonderfulโ€ฆ"

curious colette | Aug. 26, 2026

Past and present always connect

"I get great enjoyment listening to the Clio Dialogues. From the history of facial hair, to the fashion of the Founders, these 30-minute historical sweeps are fun and fascinating and thoughtful. I looโ€ฆ"

Regina F. Lark. Ph.D. | Aug. 20, 2026

Fun & Relevant!

"I've enjoyed Clio Dialogues since the beginning. The authors that Jennifer interviews offer a consistent reminder that history is not just names and dates that anyone can google these days. History iโ€ฆ"

PJ | Aug. 20, 2026

5 stars

"Such interesting content! The host has obviously researched the topics thoroughly, providing fascinating interviews about topics I had never really considered looking into. I am enjoying learning aboโ€ฆ"

reluctant reviewer of things | Aug. 2, 2026