Cultural Criticism and Analysis

Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt”

Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt” Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt”

The FX drama and Netflix animation both attempt to embody the city of Chicago. That’s an increasingly difficult task when the city itself is a jumbled simulacrum of its own past.

Aug 25, 2022 / Ryan Zickgraf

Howard Zinn speaking

Howard Zinn at 100: Remembering “The People’s Historian” Howard Zinn at 100: Remembering “The People’s Historian”

Zinn made no pretense of neutrality. He believed that “in a world of conflict,” it was the historian’s job to advocate for the oppressed.

Aug 24, 2022 / Robert Cohen and Sonia Murrow

Salman Rushdie speaks on stage at a 2019 discussion of

Salman Rushdie Joins Indian Writers on 75 Years of Independence Salman Rushdie Joins Indian Writers on 75 Years of Independence

Shortly before he was attacked, Rushdie joined with dozens of Indian literary artists to lament the rise of Hindu nationalism and the fragile state of the country's democracy.

Aug 18, 2022 / Pranay Somayajula

Network cables in a server room in New York City, 2014.

The Sophist Network The Sophist Network

Justin E.H. Smith’s recent book is a prime example of how a certain realm of philosophical thinking misunderstands the material impact of the Internet.

Aug 1, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Michael Eby

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Letters From the August 8/15, 2022, Issue Letters From the August 8/15, 2022, Issue

Whole Earth generation… Maier and McCarthyism…

Jul 26, 2022 / Our Readers

Resurrecting the American Century Is a Huge Mistake

Resurrecting the American Century Is a Huge Mistake Resurrecting the American Century Is a Huge Mistake

It’s time to focus on the more modest goal of salvaging a unified American republic

Jul 14, 2022 / Andrew J. Bacevich

Tom Cruise poses in a navy tuxedo with black bow tie.

The Rise of Bad Art and the Decline of Political Candor The Rise of Bad Art and the Decline of Political Candor

Though the language of cliché has switched from the middle-class respectability of the 1950s to our current obsessions with “inclusion” and concern for the marginalized, the practi...

Jul 11, 2022 / Column / David Bromwich

How Gayness Changed During My Lifetime

How Gayness Changed During My Lifetime How Gayness Changed During My Lifetime

When I came out, I steeled myself to join a minority—only to find that my identity had become a marketing niche.

Jun 27, 2022 / Feature / Benjamin Moser

Michael Luttig

The January 6 Hearings Are Mired in an Attempt to Refurbish the GOP Brand The January 6 Hearings Are Mired in an Attempt to Refurbish the GOP Brand

In sorting out good Republicans from bad, the hearings keep getting lost in an insider game.

Jun 17, 2022 / Jeet Heer

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Letters From the June 27/July 4, 2022, Issue Letters From the June 27/July 4, 2022, Issue

The experience of evidence… The nuclear bandwagon…

Jun 14, 2022 / Our Readers

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