Black Memes, Patriotic Education, and Vocal Tricks
Well-researched stories from the New York Times, Vox, and other publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
How Civil Rights Groups Used Photography for Change
As one activist said, “If our story is to be told, we will have to write it and photograph it and disseminate it ourselves.”
The “Scientific” Antifeminists of Victorian England
Nineteenth-century biologists employed some outrageous arguments in order to keep women confined to the home.
The Murder Ballad Was the Original True Crime Podcast
The 1896 version of crime sensationalism also taught the victim-blaming lesson “Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Murdered.”
Are Children “Persons”?
In the mid-nineteenth century, the law was ambiguous.
The Meaning of Racist Place Names
In one river town in central Illinois, a wetlands called N— Lake was scapegoated for destructive flooding.
Some Plants Use Stickiness to Fend off Hungry Insects
For some sand-dwelling plants, stickiness is a defense tactic that keeps predators at bay.
Zora Neale Hurston
In a controversial letter, the versatile author expressed frustration with critics of segregation.
Notes on Queer Conception and the Redefinition of Family
Feminist scholars refer to the “intensely communal, queer, and playful nature” of DIY LGBTQ conception, but Fertility, Inc. is another story.
How Rock against Racism Fought the Right
A rising tide of violence and bigotry in the 1970s infected the British music scene. A group of musicians organized to resist.