Why Saris are Indian Material Culture
Between 1996 and 2003, a folklorist studied the connection between handlooms (technology), sari makers (producers), and sari wearers (consumers) in the ancient city of Banaras.
How to Measure a Mountain
It’s not easy to measure a mountain. Mount Everest's height has been known since the middle of the nineteenth century, but how did they figure it out with no altimeters or GPS?
The Bacchanalian, Drunken, Role-Switching Carnival of Purim
The day-long Purim festival was transformed into a week-long carnival in the Dutch Caribbean colonies, as a rowdy celebration of inversion celebrated liberations of all kinds.
The Grand Old Tradition of Gaming at the Library
Visit your local public library today and you may find rows of kids playing computer games, or even a couple of Xboxes. Gaming at the library is a tradition that goes back to the 1850s.
How Consumerism Sold Democracy to Postwar Germany
After World War II, the United States was battling the Soviet Union for cultural influence. In divided Berlin, the tactics included lavish consumer goods exhibitions.
What Happens if Earth’s Magnetic Poles Reverse?
What would happen if the Earth's magnetic poles flipped? Earth’s magnetic poles have a long history of switching from North to South and back again.
British National Parks Plug Into the Internet of Things
Researchers in England think connecting British National Parks to the “Internet of Things” could help better protect the national treasures at lower costs with improved experience for nature-lovers.
Suggested Readings: School shootings, colds and flus, and tennis balls
Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. Brought to you each Tuesday from the editors of JSTOR Daily
The Rise of Shareholder Activism
Is a large publicly-trade company responsible only for making its shareholders the most money possible? Or is it also responsible for making the world a better place?
The First Civil Rights Monument
The nation's first civil rights monument is a mural portraying the interracial audience at Marion Anderson's famed Freedom Concert of 1939 on the Washington Mall.