Cultural Criticism and Analysis

Charles Koch during an interview with the Washington Post at the Freedom Partners Summit on August 3, 2015.

Why the Media Just Can’t Stop Whitewashing the Koch Family Why the Media Just Can’t Stop Whitewashing the Koch Family

The political uses of the “poor little rich girl” narrative.

Feb 27, 2023 / Jeet Heer

The Black Panthers’ Liberation School

Why the United States Needs a New Reconstruction Why the United States Needs a New Reconstruction

In The Third Reconstruction, historian Peniel Joseph examines how how the broken promises of racial equality in the past might be fulfilled in the future.

Feb 22, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Robert Greene II

Janet Malcolm.

Janet Malcolm, Reluctant Memoirist Janet Malcolm, Reluctant Memoirist

Why was one of the most gifted nonfiction writers of her generation so uncomfortable writing about herself?

Feb 20, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

Deference to Religion Has No Place in Higher Education

Deference to Religion Has No Place in Higher Education Deference to Religion Has No Place in Higher Education

The controversy at Hamline over a painting of Muhammad shown in an art class demonstrates the danger of prioritizing religious beliefs over academic freedom.

Feb 2, 2023 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Members of the League of Nations looking over their shoulders during an assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, 1920

The Long, Bitter History of Globalism The Long, Bitter History of Globalism

A conversation with Tara Zahra about the early-20th-century origins of globalism, how debates over a globalized world have morphed across a century, and her new book, Against the W...

Jan 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Victor Navasky in 1962.

Victor Navasky: An Avatar of the American Left, 1932–2023 Victor Navasky: An Avatar of the American Left, 1932–2023

Editor of The Nation, 1978–1995; editorial director and publisher, 1995–2005.

Jan 27, 2023 / Obituary / Kai Bird

The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise”

The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise” The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise”

What has Noah Baumbach wrought in his adaptation of the 1985 postmodern novel?

Jan 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

The Strange Thrills of “The Crown”

The Strange Thrills of “The Crown” The Strange Thrills of “The Crown”

While the infighting and personal lives of the British royals is boring, their desperate struggle to protect the monarchy makes for fine television. 

Jan 23, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Gary Younge

Was the True Meaning of Capitalism Forgotten?

Was the True Meaning of Capitalism Forgotten? Was the True Meaning of Capitalism Forgotten?

A conversation with historian Michael Sonenscher about the tricky task of defining capitalism and his new book, Capitalism: The Story Behind the Word. 

Jan 18, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Norman Fruchter by the ocean.

Norman Fruchter Was a Giant in the Fight for Education Equity Norman Fruchter Was a Giant in the Fight for Education Equity

Fruchter, who passed away recently, was also a key figure in the New Left on both sides of the Atlantic.

Jan 13, 2023 / Obituary / Alix Kates Shulman

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