Iron Man

The MCU: A Tale of American Exceptionalism

Evolving from a hated weapons manufacturer into a technocratic solution to the War on Terror, Iron Man epitomizes a militarized, defensive America.
An Americanization Campaign image

Reading Between the Lines of an “Americanization” Campaign

Manuals used to teach “American” ways of homemaking in California c. 1915–1920 offer a rare opportunity to hear the voices of Mexican immigrant women.
Hippopotamus sleep at Taronga Western Plains Zoo on November 06, 2021 in Dubbo, Australia. T

Hippos, Flies, and Queer Love Stories

Well-researched stories from Literary Hub, Vox, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Euglandina rosea

A Slimy Story: Snail Mucus

Land snails, mostly hermaphroditic, follow slime trails to find their mates. Others, including predatory Rosy Wolf Snails, follow the mucus to find their meals.
Road travelling horses being accustomised to motor cars, c. 1904

An Uncertain Energy Transition a Century Ago

When it came to the transport of goods within local areas, it took decades for the competition among horses, electric vehicles, and gas trucks to shake out.
Lunchroom in Chicago, 1896

How Gender Got on the Menu

As women began to be welcomed into restaurants, some started catering to what they perceived as “female tastes,” largely meaning the sugary stuff
The interior of the crater of Pico de Teide, Tenerife

The Canary Islands: First Stop of Imperialism

Before the New World, Europeans arrived in the Canary Islands and set the model for the enslavements, genocides, and radical ecological transformations to come.
Hospital emergency room entrance sign

Medicalizing Domestic Violence

What happens when experts position domestic violence inside a biomedical model of care?
Map illustrating legal erasure of roads in Fort Reno Park in 1943, following the clearance of Reno, a neighborhood.

Segregation by Eminent Domain

The Fifth Amendment allows the government to buy private property for the public good. That public good was long considered the expansion of white neighborhoods.
Toxic chemicals float on the surface of Leslie Run creek on February 25, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.

Vinyl Chloride, Revisited

In the wake of the derailment of a train in Ohio come renewed concerns about vinyl chloride and its use in industrial products.