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What’s the point of public executions?

What’s the point of public executions?

Two recent cases in the United States have brought the issue of state executions on to the front pages. To explore this often upsetting topic, regular panellist Hannah Skoda is joined by Dr Catherine Jenkinson from Pembroke College, University of Oxford

Matt Elton

Published: October 22, 2026 at 12:46 PM

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Two recent cases in the United States have brought the issue of state executions on to the front pages – the failed execution of murderer Christa Pike and, particularly, the plans to livestream the death of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 unarmed US military personnel in 2009. But how have attitudes towards the public display of death changed throughout the centuries? To explore this often upsetting topic, regular panellist Hannah Skoda is joined by Dr Catherine Jenkinson from Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Plus: as rioting continues in France, what does the medieval era tell us about the way such protests escalate? And can history offer us any antidotes to doomscrolling?

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Authors

Matt EltonPodcast editor

Matt Elton is the podcast editor at HistoryExtra