Building Cultures on Wheat
Wheat remains a central part of national identity in Tajikistan despite the mechanization of agriculture and decades of hostile Soviet policies.
How Mentally Ill People Fight for Their Rights
In the 1970s, a time of mass deinstitutionalization, former patients came together to found the Psychiatric Inmates Liberation Movement.
Happiness is a Warm Democracy
A greater exposure to democracy leads to a higher level of self-reported happiness.
Popularizing Meditation in the Mughal Empire
The methods of Sufi meditation were regarded as secret during the early Mughal empire. Why, then, did Dara Shikoh feel the need to write them down?
Rethinking Prison as a Deterrent to Future Crime
Time behind bars can increase the likelihood that someone will re-offend, research finds. In many cases, programs that rehabilitate, rather than punish, may be a better solution.
Security Studies: A Syllabus
National security, borders and migration, climate change and global food supplies, war and terrorism. These make up the academic field of security studies.
Gender Incommensurability In Sports
Cultural systems have historically defined sex segregation. The imperfect science has led to failures in policing gender in sports.
Intentional Unhoused Communities in Berkeley
Intentional communities provide opportunities for unhoused residents, but they also draw institutional criticism.
When Men Join Cheer
What happens when former football players, accustomed to practicing and playing in all-male environments, join gender-integrated cheerleading squads?
Square Space
Not so fast, Wordle. The Fifteen Puzzle, a challenge that inspired poetry, has obsessed fans for more than a century.