Site of house of Garðar Svavarson, the first house built in Iceland.

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.
Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima

Biobanking the Victims of Nuclear War

Nearly 2 million biological samples from people affected by radiation from World War II nuclear bombings are stored in facilities in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A Palestinian man climbs a tree as he harvests olives, November 13, 2007 near the Palestinian village of Hawarra in the West Bank.

The Olive Trees of Palestine

Palestinians’ economic relationship and cultural identification with olive trees has become increasingly relevant for the West Bank.
A general view of the Burj Khalifa which dominates downtown Dubai's skyline pictured on November 11, 2013 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Race to Be the Tallest Building in the World

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower is poised to become the world’s tallest building. What’s behind the century-plus drive to build ever taller skyscrapers?
Map of the Bahamas, 1680

Eleutheria: A Lost Utopia in the Caribbean

The Eleutherian Adventurers departed Bermuda for the Bahamas in 1647, hoping to create the first democracy in the Americas.
Fanny and Stella, 1869

Trans-lating the Story of Fanny and Stella

The Victorian-era trial of Fanny and Stella has been variously interpreted over the years. But what if it was a trans narrative all along?
A prisoner under escort at the South Western Front during the Irish Civil War, 1922

Lessons for American Zionism from the “Free Ireland” Cause

In the early twentieth century, American Zionists were inspired by what they saw as parallels with the political objectives of Irish nationalists.
Arabs and Jews marching side by side as a Palestinian army for service with the British army as an Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps.

Palestinians against Fascism

Thousands of Palestinian Arabs volunteered to fight against Germany and Italy during World War II, serving alongside Jewish volunteers from Mandate Palestine.
Dannemora mine, Sweden, before 1852

Humans for Voyage Iron: The Remaking of West Africa

Europeans used standardized bars of iron mined in northern Europe to purchase humans during the slave era, transforming the coastal landscape of West Africa.
Luanda, Angola

Luanda, Angola: The Paradox of Plenty

This vast Atlantic coast nation seems poised to become a tourist hot-spot, but uneven political and economic development may be standing in the way.