How Victorians’ Fear of Starvation Created Our Christmas Lore
One scholar sees more in the Christmas food of authors like Charles Dickens—English national identity and class.
Democracy, Aristocracy, and the American Hunter
In our own new Gilded Age, it’s worth asking what the big game hunters have in common with people who hunt to put some extra meat on the table.
The Grumpiness of Little Women
By focusing in on the characters’ emotions, a scholar discovers something more than good little women. She finds surprisingly angry ones.
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.”
How Baseball Became a Profession
Sports historian Steven A. Riess writes that the process that transformed baseball into a high-paid profession began in the 1860s.
Eat the Rich: What Amazon and Whole Foods Tell Us about Internet-Era Eating
The internet has already transformed how Americans eat; the Amazon/Whole Foods deal is just the culmination of this transformation.
Why Do We Take Pride in Working for a Paycheck?
In the modern imagination, work is a source of pride, but early labor unions regarded hourly toil in industry as "wage slavery."
The Dangerous Lessons Kindergarteners Learn About Being “Smart”
Kids develop images of themselves as "smart" or "not smart" at very young ages.
Addicted Mothers: Substance Abusers or Child Abusers?
Are mothers with addictions abusive or victims? Our answer almost always involves race and class.
Rags, Riches, and Cross-Class Dressing in Elizabethan England
In Elizabethan England, strict sumptuary regulations made sure that people dressed according to their rank in life, but many transgressed.