Joseph Ledford is a Hoover Fellow and the Assistant Director of the Hoover History Lab at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he also serves as the Vice Chair of the Applied History Working Group.
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Available November 1, 2026
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History’s Dead-Hand Grip: Politics, Statecraft, and “Lessons” of the Past
Edited by Joseph Ledford and Daniel J. Sargent
The past will never let us go. Taking as inspiration the work of legendary historian Ernest R. May, a pioneer in the field of applied history, this book illustrates how historical narratives, analogies, and axioms can, and frequently do, shape policymaking.
History’s Dead-Hand Grip, edited by Joseph Ledford and Daniel J. Sargent, builds in part on May’s seminal work “Lessons” of the Past. That book lays the foundation for this one’s explorations: How have policymakers in diverse countries—from Indonesia and Israel to Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and the United States—used and misused history?
Across eight chapters, leading scholars examine the uses and misuses of history around the world, revealing how historical reasoning shapes politics and statecraft from Washington, DC, to Riyadh, Pyongyang, and beyond.
