Harem Pool Jean-Léon Gérôme [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Other Orientalism: Colonialism in the Caucasus

For centuries, the Caucasus was to the Russian Empire what the Middle East was to the British and French: a savage land to be dominated and a romanticized Other against which Russia could define its own “European” identity.
Bears Ears National Monument

Who Doesn’t Like National Parks?

National parks and monuments have always been controversial, opposed by ranchers, farmers, resource, extractors, and small government conservatives. 
Sarah Webster Fabio

Sarah Webster Fabio: Mother of Black Studies

Poet, teacher, musician, and scholar of black literature, Sarah Webser Fabio, helped build a Black Arts movement on the West Coast.
Plimpton 322, Babylonian tablet listing pythagorean triples

The Advanced Mathematics of the Babylonians

The Babylonians knew their mathematics thousands of years before the Europeans.
Children playing in the schoolyard during recess.

Recess Matters

As schools cut recess from the curriculum, more and more research suggests that it's a vital part of a child's day.
Easter Card ca. 1907

The Easter Bunny, or, Why We Love Rabbits

The human fascination with rabbits, including the Easter Bunny, is long and deep. But why rabbits? 
Travel

The End of the Tour: Why Do We Travel?

Travel is commodity, a privilege, and a state of mind; a comfort to some and a trial to others. 
Twisting a man's ears.

The Return of Torture

After being made illegal in the 19th century, why did torture return in the 20th century and why does it continue into the present?
Luise Adelgunde Victoria Gottsched

Traduttore, Traditore: Is Translation Ever Really Possible?

Translator, traitor, goes the Italian expression, although something may be lost in the translation.
Violette Personified NYPL Collections

Personification Is Your Friend: The Language of Inanimate Objects

Studies have shown that anthropomorphizing not only helps us learn. It also serves a social function, helping us feel connected.