Culture

Hope in Action

Hope in Action Hope in Action

Our pain will cultivate activism.

Nov 20, 2024 / OppArt / Andrea Arroyo

This photo, taken on February 9, 2012, shows former Washington Post correspondent Elizabeth Becker standing next to a photo of former Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot during her photo exhibition at Bophana center in Phnom Penh.

Warning From the Past Warning From the Past

In a new film, journalists confront a dictator.

Nov 20, 2024 / Elizabeth Becker

Skeletons used in a museum in Amsterdam. They are posed in various positions for working; sawing wood, doing housework, carrying planks, office work, etc.

Why Americans Are Obsessed With Poor Posture Why Americans Are Obsessed With Poor Posture

A recent history of the 20th-century movement to fix slouching questions the moral and political dimensions of addressing bad backs over wider public health concerns.

Nov 20, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Zoe Adams

The German reformer Thomas Muntzer (1491–1525) and his people during the German Peasants' War (1524–25). Colored engraving. 19th century.

Thomas Müntzer’s Misunderstood Revolution Thomas Müntzer’s Misunderstood Revolution

A recent biography of the German preacher and leader of the Peasants’s War examines what remains radical about the short-lived rebellion he led.

Nov 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Matt Broomfield

A detail of a painting by Thomas Nast.

Slavery in an Age of Emancipation Slavery in an Age of Emancipation

Robin Blackburn’s sweeping history of slavery and freedom in the 19th century.

Nov 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Manisha Sinha

President-elect Donald Trump appears onstage with US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) at the J.S. Dorton Arena on November 4, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Will Be Chaos First, Not America First Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Will Be Chaos First, Not America First

His team of cronies includes establishment hawks and cranky outsiders who are more likely to deliver global anarchy than world peace.

Nov 18, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play?

Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play? Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play?

The Robert Downey Jr.–starring McNeal, which was possibly cowritten with the help of AI, is a showcase for the new technology’s mediocrity.

Nov 14, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng

Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti

Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti

The two writers discuss the challenges of writing about sex, loneliness, and the new ways novels can tackle BDSM.

Nov 13, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Chris Kraus

Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism

Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism

In her life and work, she moved through the world with a disarming blend of youthful curiosity and daring intelligence.

Nov 12, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Michele Moses

The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn

The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn

1982’s In Thrall was a magnificent piece of queer fiction, at once comic and courageous.

Nov 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Colm Tóibín

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