Ellen Gallagher

Ellen Gallagher: Questioning Race

Artist Ellen Gallagher interweaves text and images to force viewers to confront and question race in American society. 
The cast of Downton Abbey

Understanding the Popularity of “Downton Abbey”

Downton Abbey's popularity in America may be due to the British culture industry's manufacture of the myth of England itself. 
The Firebrand and the First Lady Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice By Patricia Bell-Scott

Pauli Murray: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Brilliant (Black, Feminist, Queer, Trailblazing) Friend

Patricia Bell-Scott's new book explores the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Pauli Murray, the poet and civil rights activist. 
Screenshot of Flower from the trailer for the film Bambi.

The Problematic Influence of Disney’s “Bambi”

Bambi has had a pervasive influence on how Americans view nature, and that might not be such a good thing.
Rushdie at Pen America/Free Expression Literature, May 2014. © Ed Lederman/PEN American Center

Is the Fatwa Against Salman Rushdie Real?

$600,000 dollars have been added to the original fatwa against Salman Rushdie. But Khomeini's declaration may not have been a real fatwa after all.
Chasing Rainbows Museum

The Sinful Allure of Southern Theme Parks

Southern theme parks have their roots in sin, regional patriotism, and sideshow culture.
Album cover in handmade paper (from the Heavy Rotation Series), 2015 Krista Franklin

Afrofuturist Artist Krista Franklin

Visual artist Krista Franklin uses various media to create fantastic new worlds inspired by science fiction, the Black Arts Movement, and Afrofuturism.
Moral Outrage

The Importance of Being Outraged

Studies by psychologists, behavioral scientists, political theorists, and economists suggest that moral outrage has social benefits.
The Portable Veblen, by Elizabeth McKenzie

How Life in the Age of Conspicuous Consumption Can Drive You Nuts

Elizabeth McKenzie's "The Portable Veblen" concerns a character named Veblen, a woman who feels keenly the ideas of the great economist.  
Jaipur Literary Festival

Dispatch from Jaipur Literary Festival 2016: The Greatest Literary Show on Earth

The JLF brings together writers from all over the world for readings, lectures, discussions and celebration at the Diggi Palace in Jaipur, India.