The Unbearable Sadness of Toast
One scholar sees the toaster as a symbol of a modernized, industrialized society—the culprit of bread’s mechanization and a perpetrator of assimilation.
The Completely True History of April Fools’ Day
The door to spring is guarded by fools, but that's ok, because they're not all that serious. And everybody knows the password: April Fools!
The Privileged and Impoverished Life of Phillis Wheatley
The first African American of either gender to publish a book of poetry has remained a controversial figure in the black community.
Should We Thank Frig it’s Friday?
The Anglo-Saxon goddess Frig has often been cited as the origin of the word Friday, but one scholar questions whether such a deity ever existed.
How To Make a Leader Step Down
President Xi Jinping of China recently managed to abolish term limits. What compels some leaders to discard the rules of the very systems that led them to power?
Black Panther and Double-Consciousness
Double identity, present in both Marvel's Black Panther and in the critical race theory of double-consciousness, enables black American viewers to see their two identities played out on screen.
In Children’s Books, How Much Reality is Too Much?
While children will undoubtedly counter myriad difficulties as they navigate life--and it does them a disservice to pretend otherwise--exposure is a double edged sword.
Volcanoes, Climate Change, and The Birth of Christianity
The massive, deadly eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eldgjá in 10th century brought climate change and Christianity to the island colony.
Gun Norms, Jolts of Joy, and Life on Mars
Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Alaska’s Unique Civil Rights Struggle
A generation before Rosa Parks, a young Alaska Native woman was arrested for sitting in the "whites only" section of a Nome, Alaska movie theater.