Historical Studies

The Hidden Stories project, co-led by Suzanne Conklin Akbari, aims to explore the systems, peoples and cultures that make a book, including its physical and biological properties that reveal new knowledge. Everything from fungal growth on its pages to the trade routes involved in the materials used to make the book will be studied.

Verena Krebs is an award-winning medieval historian working on Christian Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. She draws on archaeology, art, and written sources for her scholarship. At IAS, Krebs will work on her second monograph, “Africa Collecting Europe: Patronage and Power in Christian Ethiopia, 1468–1530", which will tease out an untold story about the assertion of power in a pre-colonial African kingdom.

"The carried interest tax loophole allows wealthy Americans, like those in private equity and hedge funds, to avoid billions in taxes each year. It's been one of the most controversial features of the U.S. tax system, yet it has survived multiple attempts (by Republicans and Democrats) to try to kill the loophole. The most recent attempt — in the Inflation Reduction Act — was thwarted last week."