Can Makeup Be Feminist?
Makeup has become a huge industry. Is it possible to enjoy the practice of beautification and be feminist at the same time?
How Delicious Meat Pies Put Natchitoches on the Map
The Natchitoches meat pie, a crimped half moon hiding a pocket of spiced meat, exemplifies “culinary place making."
Carlos Mondragón
Welcome to Ask a Professor, our series that offers an insider’s view of life in academia. This month: Carlos Mondragón, professor at the Colegio de México.
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.