How Horses Shaped the Mughal Empire
The quest for powerful horses reshaped trade and diplomacy across early modern South Asia.
Caste and Culture in Kolkata’s Chinese Leather Trade
In eastern Kolkata, a Hakka Chinese community carved out an economic niche in leather production amid stigma surrounding purity and caste hierarchy.
Gender Play in Nineteenth-Century Theater
In the 1800s, women playing tragic leads captivated crowds while critics struggled to reconcile talent with gender norms.
Returning to Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez
A literary classic doubles as data, helping scientists trace decades of ecological change in the Gulf of California.
Why Lacan Loved Harpo Marx
A surprising encounter between high theory and Hollywood farce reshapes how we think about laughter and desire.
Equine-Assisted Therapy: But What Do the Horses Think?
An emerging critique examines the moral and cultural assumptions behind horse-based interventions.
The Long History of High-Tech Border Policing
In the 1970s, sensors and computers turned the US–Mexico border into a testing ground for automated control.
Building Brasília
A twentieth-century experiment in urban planning promised progress—but carried immense financial and human costs.
The Trouble with Authentic Ancient Statues
Scientific analysis has restored the colors of ancient Greek statues. Why does seeing them restored still feel so wrong?
The “Mock Calendar” and the Disposable Worker
How unstable scheduling practices keep low-wage workers economically insecure.