Buddhist Pacifists at War
In the early centuries of Vajrayāna Buddhism in India, practitioners worked to reconcile the religion’s teaching of nonviolence with the realities of warfare.
Building the Olympic Games
A close connection between architecture, athletics, and the urban fabric is central to the idea of the modern Olympic Games.
The French Historian Who Invented the Olympics
Pierre de Coubertin harnessed an enduring fascination with ancient Greece to create a new institution that blended national pride with global unity.
Black Freedom and Indian Independence
Activists including W. E .B. Du Bois in the United States and Lajpat Rai in India drew connections between Black American and Indian experiences of white rule.
Matilda Tone, Historian of Irish Republicanism
Through the work and writing of Matilda Tone, her late husband, Theobold Wolfe Tone, was constructed as the hero of Irish republicanism.
A Utopia—for Some—in India
In 1968, an international group led by an Indian freedom fighter and a French spiritualist formed a utopian—and problematic—community called Auroville.
Wooden Kings and Winds of Change in Tonga
The island nation of Tonga is home to the last Polynesian monarchy.
Women in the Vijayanagar Empire
According to legend, a woman played a central role in the founding of the Vijayanagar empire. But what was it really like to be a woman in India’s medieval era?
The Psychological Problems of Modern Warfare
As military technology improved in the nineteenth century, military strategists put heavy emphasis on “moral factors” in preparing troops for battle.
On the Anniversary of Iceland’s Independence
Iceland is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Three photograph collections shared on JSTOR show how much has—and hasn’t—changed on the island since independence.