The “Deviant” African Genders That Colonialism Condemned
European travellers and anthropologists found that their gendered worldview didn’t easily map onto the societies they encountered.
The Global History of Labor and Race: Foundations and Key Concepts
How have workers around the world sought to change their conditions, and how have racial divisions affected their efforts?
Adolph Reed Jr.: The Perils of Race Reductionism
The political scientist Adolph Reed Jr. on the Black Lives Matter movement, the “rich peoples’ wealth gap,” and his Marxism.
How Being Polite with Police Can Backfire
When it comes to interactions with the police, the law favors direct speech. But that's not always the way we're trained to speak to people in power.
Eighteenth-Century Spies in the European Silk Industry
Curious about the advancing wonders of the age, savants traveled abroad to gather trade secrets for their homeland.
Brain Implants, Pirates, and Pretty Birds
Well-researched stories from The New Yorker, Psyche, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
How a Fake Supergroup Mocked the Real Thing
The Masked Marauders were the cockamamie creation of a bored rock critic. They still sold 100,000 albums.
Poetry from the Trenches of WWI
Tragically killed in action during the Battle of Arras in 1917, Edward Thomas was on the verge of a breakthrough.
The Tragicomedy of Johanna the Super Whale
How a beached cetacean triggered one whale of a controversy.
Is Your Favorite Tree an Invasive Species?
Some superstar trees in the US are actually invasive to their ecosystems. Blossoming cherry trees, for example.