Wittgenstein on Whether Speech Is Violence
When is speech violence? Sometimes. It depends. That’s a complicated question.
How European Empires Helped Shape the Hajj
Despite the Hajj's celebration of ascetic faith and brotherhood, there has always been plenty of profit made off the pilgrims traveling to Mecca.
The Invention of Middle School
In the 1960s, one scholar writes, there was no grand vision behind the idea of a middle school. The problem that the model sought to solve was segregation.
Is “Political” the New Black?
Clothing as a tool in social change isn't anything new, but is a for-profit industry that thrives on exclusivity too removed to comment on politics?
When is Public Drinking Cool?
The Wall Street Journal reports that property developers are pushing to allow public drinking on city streets, hoping to encourage a “lively atmosphere.”
When Margarine Was Contraband
Protectionist laws favoring producers of butter meant that getting margarine in Wisconsin was no easy feat.
Tackling Student Homelessness
College students are notoriously strapped for cash. For some, however, that youthful poverty becomes actual homelessness.
How African Americans Supported Evolution in the 1925 Scopes Trial
Dayton, Tennessee has a new statue of Clarence Darrow, the evolutionist and criminal defense attorney of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial.
Charlottesville Syllabus: Readings on the History of Hate in America
The history of racism and ethnic hate in America is long and deep. What are the cultural, economic, and political currents that led us here?
The Forgotten Movement That Changed American Women’s Lives
Chatauquas changed the lives of Midwestern women between 1878 and 1900, setting the stage for new gender roles in the twentieth century.