Misunderstood Malthus
The English thinker whose name is synonymous with doom and gloom has lessons for today.
Defining “White Trash”
The term “white trash” once was used to disparage poor white people. In the Civil Rights era, its meaning shifted to support business-friendly racial politics.
A Multiculturalism of the Undead
Labeling the undead figures in non-European mythology, popular culture, and academia as “vampires” doesn’t make sense.
Underground Conquest: Cave Exploration and Nationalism
As cave exploration became more popular and speleology developed as an academic discipline, cave explorers were drawn into a problematic European nationalism.
From Neoliberalism to Trumpism
The neoliberal politics that developed in the 1970s created financial instability and fragmented cultural markets, helping to pave the way for Trumpism.
Eighteenth-Century Takes on Basic Income
Universal basic income has gotten some serious twenty-first-century play, but the idea is hardly new.
Demonizing Immigrants in the 1880s
American newspapers portrayed members of immigrant groups as potential anarchists, linking the ideology to other anxieties and stereotypes about foreigners.
Politicizing Intelligence: Nixon’s Man at the CIA
James R. Schlesinger was only head of the CIA for six months, but he nevertheless ranks as the least popular director in the agency’s history.
Police Misconduct and State Legitimacy in Central America
In countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, police corruption and misconduct have eroded public support for the political order.
Hamilton’s Real Immigration Story
The popular musical poses Alexander Hamilton as a symbol of the value of immigrants brought to America, but over time, his party became increasingly xenophobic.