Interior courtyard at the Thian Hock Keng Temple in the Tanjong Pagar area of downtown Singapore, a traditional Taoist temple established in 1839

Debating the Definition of Taoism

Taoism and Hinduism are two different spiritual systems, but one thing they have in common in Singapore is that they’re both very difficult to define.
A graphical illustration of a man with a wad of cash and an airplane

Are Millionaire Taxes Self-Defeating?

A common argument against increasing taxes on high earners is that the wealthy will simply move out of the city or state with higher taxes.
Pliny the Elder

The Numinous World of Pliny the Elder

As a follower of Stoic philosophy, Pliny used sensory experience to try to understand the divine.
Piece of Roquefort cheese, made from sheep milk in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon

Cheesy Terroir-ism: The ABCs of AOCs

Whether it supports the production of wine or cheese, terroir is a “particularly French conception of cultural territory” says historian Tamara L. Whited.
A series of posters created by the American Forces Information Service (AFIS)

Life Advice From the Armed Forces

These American Forces Information Service posters shared via JSTOR by The University of Alabama in Huntsville offer us the wisdom we didn’t know we needed.

Trees With a Secret Message

The culturally modified trees of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska bring essential stories of the past into the present.
Maize, tomato and apple of paradise

“Simple, Wholesome Food” for a New American Nation

In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, Americans faced understandable anxiety about what their society would look like—and what they should eat.
A couple gazes over the Nile River on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt.

Valentine’s Day in Egypt

In recent decades, celebrations of Valentine’s Day have become common in Egypt. But, as anthropologist Aymon Kreil found, opinions on the holiday are mixed.
Fisherman on the bank of a river, Ancient Greece.

Fish Addiction: An Ancient Greek Paranoia

An obsession with eating fish mapped onto all sorts of social anxieties, from gluttony and gambling problems to wasteful spending and licentiousness.
Baby Paper Diapers on Black Background

Diapers and the Invisible Work of Poverty

The parenting work of the impoverished may not be visible, but the lengths poor mothers go to to obtain diapers reveal their engagement and vulnerability.