Cultural Criticism and Analysis

Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas

Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas

The genre that propelled Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat to stardom has been tainted by real-life police brutality during protests.

Apr 16, 2020 / Jaime Chu

Bubonic plague illustration

The Tangled History of Illness and Idiocy The Tangled History of Illness and Idiocy

The pandemic is stress-testing two concepts Americans have historically gotten wrong.

Apr 13, 2020 / Jessi Jezewska Stevens

The Center Is a Decaying Piece of Real Estate

The Center Is a Decaying Piece of Real Estate The Center Is a Decaying Piece of Real Estate

And Bernie Sanders is the only candidate not clinging to it.

Feb 10, 2020 / Column / Shuja Haider

Emma Copley Eisenberg’s Appalachian True-Crime Chronicle Upends the Genre

Emma Copley Eisenberg’s Appalachian True-Crime Chronicle Upends the Genre Emma Copley Eisenberg’s Appalachian True-Crime Chronicle Upends the Genre

In a conversation with fellow true-crime writer Rachel Monroe, Eisenberg discusses the pitfalls and potential of the evolving genre.

Jan 29, 2020 / Q&A / Rachel Monroe

Tiki Bar

The Tiki Bar Resurgence of the Trump Era The Tiki Bar Resurgence of the Trump Era

It’s tacky and willfully inauthentic. Of course it’s popular again.

Jan 6, 2020 / Jackson Arn

Toni Morrison’s Revolution in American Literature

Toni Morrison’s Revolution in American Literature Toni Morrison’s Revolution in American Literature

As with Pilate, the fierce outsider and moral conscience of Song of Solomon, Morrison never asked for the proverbial seat at the table. Instead, she pulled the entire table over to...

Dec 16, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Jesse McCarthy

The Irishman

‘The Irishman’ Tells the Story of the Corruption of Empire ‘The Irishman’ Tells the Story of the Corruption of Empire

Scorsese’s gangster epic highlights the personal and political cost of counterrevolutionary violence.

Dec 6, 2019 / Jeet Heer

Nathan Robinson Why You Should be a socialist

Nathan J. Robinson Wants You to Be a Socialist Nathan J. Robinson Wants You to Be a Socialist

We talked to the editor of Current Affairs about his new book, an impassioned argument for socialism in the 21st century.

Dec 6, 2019 / Q&A / Teddy Ostrow

The Surrealpolitik of the Venice Biennale

The Surrealpolitik of the Venice Biennale The Surrealpolitik of the Venice Biennale

Is the prestigious international showcase of contemporary art necessarily nationalistic?

Nov 26, 2019 / Erica X Eisen

How Will Americans Remember Donald Trump?

How Will Americans Remember Donald Trump? How Will Americans Remember Donald Trump?

If the past is prologue, Trump will face no historical reckoning for his sprawling malfeasance.

Nov 14, 2019 / Column / Aaron Ross Coleman

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