Cultural Criticism and Analysis

One of the bridges over the Gowanus Canal.

The Transformation of Gowanus The Transformation of Gowanus

Can a Superfund site be remade into an experiment for equitable housing and eco-friendly development?

Jul 31, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs

Who let the cats out? Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance.

J.D. Vance’s Hatred of Cat Ladies Is Weirder and More Dangerous Than You Think J.D. Vance’s Hatred of Cat Ladies Is Weirder and More Dangerous Than You Think

Patriarchy, plutocracy, and ethnonationalism fuel the vice-presidential candidate’s bizarre slur.

Jul 26, 2024 / Jeet Heer

In a 1881 political cartoon, Charles Julius Guiteau approaches President Garfield at the White House to ask for a diplomatic post. Guiteau assassinated Garfield in 1881.

Why Are Presidential Assassins Such Sad Sacks? Why Are Presidential Assassins Such Sad Sacks?

What would-be killers of the US commander in chief have in common is that they aren’t fervent ideologues; they’re outcasts.

Jul 22, 2024 / Zack Budryk

The Radical Politics of the Garden

The Radical Politics of the Garden The Radical Politics of the Garden

An interview with author Olivia Laing.

Jul 1, 2024 / Q&A / Sara Franklin

Central Park Tower, One57, and 111 West 57th Street, 2022.

What’s the Deal With Manhattan’s Pencil-Thin High Rises? What’s the Deal With Manhattan’s Pencil-Thin High Rises?

A walk along 57th Street.

Jun 10, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs

The Myths of Anne Carson

The Myths of Anne Carson The Myths of Anne Carson

Throughout her long and prolific career, Carson has specialized in unexpected juxtapositions between modern life and ancient times, contemporary art and the literature of the...

Jun 4, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Emily Wilson

The Enigma of Frantz Fanon

The Enigma of Frantz Fanon The Enigma of Frantz Fanon

A revolutionary and an intellectual, a nationalist and a cosmopolitan, a doctor and a revolutionary, Fanon was always multiple.

Jun 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Ken Chen

The State of the Gay Bar

The State of the Gay Bar The State of the Gay Bar

A new book explores the phenomenon of gay bar closures and the forms of nightlife that have emerged to replace them.

May 30, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Felsenthal

Illustration from “The Ship That Sailed to Mars,” by William M. Timlin.

The Radical World-making of Joanna Russ The Radical World-making of Joanna Russ

In her science fiction, the novelist offered not only an astringent critiques of the present but also bold visions of the future.

May 13, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Stephanie Burt

Left: Nazi propaganda poster from the early 1940s depicts Jews as conspiring to provoke a war with Germany. Right: Just as the Nazis recycled medieval antisemitic tropes, this 21st-century update, featured in a “Jerusalem Post” story on vaccine resistance, incorporates the visual vocabulary of the Nazi era.

Antisemitism, Then and Now: A Guide for the Perplexed Antisemitism, Then and Now: A Guide for the Perplexed

A short history of the origins, uses, and abuses of a long hatred.

May 10, 2024 / Feature / Omer Bartov

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