Teofilo Ruiz

The Consolations of History is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Teofilo Ruiz, Professor Emeritus of History at UCLA. Teo Ruiz is a scholar of the social and popular cultures of late medieval and early modern Spain and the Western Mediterranean. He received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for his “inspired teaching and writing”. This wide-ranging conversation provides captivating insights into his Cuban origins, how he became a professional historian, the challenges and excitement of teaching, and what the future might hold.

This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, In the Marrow, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

  1. The Terror of History – The story of a book
  2. Becoming a Historian– From Cuba to City College to NYU to Princeton
  3. Historical Ruminations – Meditations on the bigger picture
  4. Progress? – Do we actually learn from the past?
  5. Connecting – Technology and personal factors
  6. Looking Ahead – Pondering history’s future




Available in electronic format on all major booksellers, including:





The Consolations of History is also part of the five-part Ideas Roadshow CollectionConversations About History, Volume 1, which is available in hardcover, paperback and electronic format.