Masqueraders at the Winneba Fancy Dress Festival in Ghana

Performing as “Red Indians” in Ghana

In Ghana, asafo and Fancy Dress traditions draw on a stereotypical but much-admired figure inspired by the nations of the North American Great Plains.
Tongan beach with small wooden jetty and thatched huts

Wooden Kings and Winds of Change in Tonga

The island nation of Tonga is home to the last Polynesian monarchy.
Source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.24887166

Women in the Vijayanagar Empire

According to legend, a woman played a central role in the founding of the Vijayanagar empire. But what was it really like to be a woman in India’s medieval era?
Charlotte Cushman, 1843

The Long Shadow of the Jolly Bachelors

More than a century ago, Charlotte Cushman presided over a group of queer female artists who supported one another’s creativity and left a pioneering, if overlooked, legacy.
Eoraptor lunensis lived roughly 230 million years ago, at a time when dinosaurs were small and rare.

Growing Quickly Helped the Earliest Dinosaurs

Rapid growth also helped other ancient reptiles flourish in the aftermath of mass extinction.
Illustration of the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War

The Psychological Problems of Modern Warfare

As military technology improved in the nineteenth century, military strategists put heavy emphasis on “moral factors” in preparing troops for battle.
Grandchildren of slaves.

Reading for Juneteenth

The JSTOR Daily editors have rounded up a collection of stories that discuss the origins, meaning, and legacy of Juneteenth.
African Elephants

Elephants, Decadence, and LGBTQ Records

Well-researched stories from the CBC, Vox, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Shelter along the Appalachian Trail

The Huts of the Appalachian Trail

Scattered along the Appalachian Trail, “primitive huts” built in various styles offer shelter, social space, and evidence of the trail's long history.
Site of house of Garðar Svavarson, the first house built in Iceland.

On the Anniversary of Iceland’s Independence

Iceland is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Three photograph collections shared on JSTOR show how much has—and hasn’t—changed on the island since independence.