Voting Hands and Ballot Box

Happiness is a Warm Democracy

A greater exposure to democracy leads to a higher level of self-reported happiness.
Dara Shikoh and Mian Mir

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?
Two hands holding prison bars

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.
An NSA security posters from the 1950s or 60s

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.
Male and female runners on a blue background

Gender Incommensurability In Sports

Cultural systems have historically defined sex segregation. The imperfect science has led to failures in policing gender in sports.
Peoples Park in Berkeley on April 1 2021

Intentional Unhoused Communities in Berkeley

Intentional communities provide opportunities for unhoused residents, but they also draw institutional criticism.
A Kentucky Wildcats cheerleader performs in th first half against the Florida Gators during the Championship game of the 2014 Men's SEC Basketball Tournament

When Men Join Cheer

What happens when former football players, accustomed to practicing and playing in all-male environments, join gender-integrated cheerleading squads?
Fifteen puzzle

Square Space

Not so fast, Wordle. The Fifteen Puzzle, a challenge that inspired poetry, has obsessed fans for more than a century.
Women's Christian Temperance Union lecturing in a crowded bar in Pasadena, CA., 1947

The Forgotten Temperance Movement of the 1950s

Despite the repeal of Prohibition, alcohol consumption was an enormous political issue for many white American Protestants.
Meji Jingu Shrine on December 15, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan

Sacred Trees in Japan

In the modern city of Tokyo, mature forests and trees form a spiritual bridge between past and present.