Ludicrum chiromanticum Praetorii engraved title page emblematizes chiromancy's practical and philosophical components. In the center of the page a pair of hands flank a face; planetary symbols adorn their key features.

In the Palm of Your Hand

Palm reading, also known as palmistry or chiromancy, has fascinated us as a practice and a party trick for centuries.
Woman lighting the candles for Diwali in India

A History of Diwali

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is observed across the length and breadth of India as well as among the large Indian diaspora around the world.
Rabbis Chant On Capitol Steps, Washington, D.C., 1945

Jews vs. the “Judeo-Christian Tradition”

Since the 1930s, the idea of a “Judeo-Christian tradition” has been used in American politics, but some Jews have always taken issue with the entire concept.
freelance working at train station before travel. work and travel concept

All Travelers are Infiltrators: An Introduction to the Study of Travel Writing

Travel writing as a genre has arguably been around for centuries, but it didn’t emerge as a distinct field of academic study until the 1980s.
A group of children, among them are some dressed in Highland regalia with others wearing sailor suits, during League of Nations Rally in Hyde Park London, England, June 1921. The children, all of Hampstead, hold small signs reading 'Peace' and 'No War' and are gathered before a large banner reading 'We Revel in Peace'.

Teaching Peace Between the Wars

In the years between the world wars, the League of Nations attempted to change how history was taught to emphasize commonalities across national lines.
Fredric Jameson, 2008

Verbatim: Fredric Jameson

Marxist cultural critic Fredric Jameson offered a philosophy of late capitalism that gave us a language for talking about globalization and the end of modernism.
Serrakunda market, The Gambia

When “Traditional” Religion Shakes Up Gender Roles

In The Gambia, adherents of the Tablighi Jama‘at movement believe in the segregation of men and women, which often affects gender roles in unexpected ways.
Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, 2009

New Atheism and the Trouble with Literalism

Gaining strength in the early 2000s, the New Atheism movement was fueled by a fear of Christian fundamentalism and a belief that secularism was under attack.
A diverse polyamorous family cuddling in bed, genders and relationships, pansexual lifestyle

Is Consensual Nonmonogamy a (Good) Thing?

Social biases can restrict research into consensual nonmonogamy, especially when it's harder to understand the processes involved in these relationships.
Saint Clare of Montefalco

A Religious Studies Roundup

Stories from JSTOR Daily about religious traditions around the world and how they’ve shaped our politics, pleasures, and self-perceptions.