How the Indian Middle Class Came to Define Bollywood
The Hindi film industry has undergone tremendous change since the late 1940s, reflecting India's shift from a socialistic republic to a privatized democracy.
Tenzing Norgay: The Mountaineer Who Refused to be Categorized
By remaining vague about his own biography, Norgay called into question the idea of nationhood and made a deafening point about actions speaking louder than words.
Why James Bond Villains Prefer Post-Soviet Architecture
In No Time to Die, Bond blows up the villain’s post-Soviet missile silo—just as he does every other modernist building he encounters.
The Vast Influence of Ibn Sina, Pioneer of Medicine
In the 11th century CE, science was rapidly advancing in the Islamic world. The scholar Ibn Sina (Avicenna) synthesized its medical wisdom.
Will the U.S. Ever Catch a High-Speed Train?
Over 20 countries have high-speed train travel, carrying 1.6 billion passengers a year. The United States is lagging behind.
Indian Food is Not a Monolith
When you eat Indian food, what are you really eating? Chicken tikka masala was originally created to appease the palates of the British during the Raj.
Mostafa El-Abbadi
Mostafa A. H. el-Abbadi was the visionary behind the revival of the Great Library of Alexandria, the vast Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Women Leaders on the International Front
With the real possibility of the first woman being elected president of the U.S., let's take a look at the situation around the globe.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Speaker: Linguistic Isolation in the Modern World
Ayapaneco, an endangered Mexican language, sparked linguistic interest when the last two speakers of the language were not speaking to each other