Robert Peckham, historian: ‘Freedom is scary’

“Can there be hope where there is fear?” wrote Cervantes in Don Quixote. To explore this question, we travel to Bronxville — one of New York’s most exclusive enclaves, known for its Tudor and Colonial mansions, as well as its elite schools — located about 15 miles from Manhattan.

For several years, British historian Robert Peckham has called Bronxville home. The author of Fear: An Alternative History of the World, a book now translated into five languages, Peckham will be attending the VIII Culture Forum in the Spanish city of Valladolid, held from February 20 to 23 under the theme “Who Said Fear?” His previous work has examined the role of panic in empires, the epidemics that have shaped modern Asia, and the complexities of European cultural heritage and identity.

In 2021, after 15 years as a history professor in Asia, Peckham resigned from his chair at the University of Hong Kong, relocated to the U.S. with his family, and dedicated himself entirely to his book. Today, he directs Open Cube — an organization fostering dialogue between the arts, science, and technology — and encourages us to rethink fear not just as a tool of power but also as a catalyst for change.

We meet in his elegant home, where art and intellect intertwine: a mobile by Alexander Calder hangs alongside the striking abstract paintings of his father, an oncologist and artist. Books line the shelves, a cello rests nearby, and a grand piano commands the room. As we talk for hours, outside, on the streets of the U.S., the first raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants unfold in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to power.

Question. When I think of fear in the current sociopolitical context, I think of figures like Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.

Answer. Current politics is centered on fear. This was evident in Trump’s first term, when conspiracy fears dominated the discourse. And the Democratic discourse revolved around fear of Trump, of climate change... Neither party was able to offer any social value or an aspirational agenda. The debate consisted of delegitimizing the fears of others and prioritizing their own.

Q. How did we get to this point?

A. Throughout history, and in the beginning, fear has been a mechanism to protect liberal values, but over time it has ended up overshadowing those very values it was trying to preserve. Today there are more fears than values. And, more than being interested in fear, what intrigues me is how we are going to get out of this situation. It is very difficult to find any progressive movement in the sense that it looks to the future instead of prioritizing how to protect itself. Fear is linked to highly cherished liberal values, such as freedom. People prefer to surrender their freedom to someone else, so that they make the decisions. Freedom is scary.

Q. You argue that there is also something hopeful and positive in fear.

A. Fear also provides clarity. It reminds us that if we don’t solve something that needs to be solved, it will become a problem. It allows us to see the world from a different perspective, and there are some scary experiences, like illness, that help us prioritize what really matters. What happens is that when the experience passes, we often forget what we have learned. That’s why I value art and cinema so much: they help us remember.

Q. But now I find it difficult to imagine a movement on the scale of Black Lives Matter in defense of the rights of immigrants or trans people.

A. People are very tired. The ravages of Covid-19 have had an impact on the impetus needed for social mobilization. After Trump’s first inauguration, there was a massive march of women in several cities across the country, which was not held this year because there is skepticism and helplessness. But it is important to keep in mind that certain problems do not only concern politicians, but require a change of perspective from society — the part that has voted for them. We must mobilize and make problems visible in order to raise awareness among the population as well. And the reality is that it is something that is affecting the entire world, including Europe, where the extreme right is growing. People should continue to mobilize out of fear. I am shocked by the number of homeless people I see on the streets of the U.S. How can a society continue to function if it does not prioritize people having a home?

Q. You say that being aware of the role of fear in history is useful, why?

A. There are different types of fear, biological fears and inherited fears, which have been instilled in us throughout our education. These are cultural fears, which change from country to country, and which shape our way of seeing the world. I am totally convinced that these fears can be reversed by asking ourselves whether they are legitimate fears and then working on ways to mitigate them.

Q. In 2016, before the Covid-19 pandemic, you wrote a book called Epidemics in Modern Asia and for six years you taught a course on the history of pandemics at the University of Hong Kong.

A. We knew that the pandemic was going to happen. For years, I studied these issues, which are very dark. Epidemics are a compendium of economic crises mixed with biological, social, political processes and anxieties, which promote change. The fears associated with the pandemic have now been diluted into other fears.

Q. Do you think we are living in a time when fear is due to mental health issues rather than real external threats?

A. It depends on where you live and how. But in the U.S., and in general terms, I think the cause is probably mental. If we go by historical standards, the level of purchasing power and life expectancy, we could say that we are in the best moment in history. But that is not how people feel: they are afraid, and it has repercussions in a more virtual world, in the decline of socialization and openness, in the increase in suicides.

Q. What was it like to return to the West after spending so much time in Asia?

A. I am still surprised to find that not much is known about Asia in general and that stereotypical ideas persist. I am also surprised to find that there is a gap in knowledge of history. In 2008, it was believed that China would become part of Hong Kong and not the other way around, as has happened. I feel disoriented, but like me, many people are now wondering where their home is. In this country, people plant flags in front of their houses and there is a whole debate about who is American and who is not. I am writing about this.

Q. About the sense of belonging?

A. About what home is, what it means and where it is. Is home at the beginning or at the end of life? How long do you have to live in a place to consider it home? I used to consider Hong Kong my home. My children were born there, and I bought a house, and, overnight, it is no longer my home. Today there are a number of phenomena altering the concept, such as technology, for example.

Q. What are you afraid of?

A. I’m human, it’s impossible for me to give a concise answer to something so existential. Above all, I’m afraid of losing the people I love. Thinking that it could happen at any moment helps me put everything into perspective.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition