History

The Birth of a New Brand of Exercise Fetish

The Birth of a New Brand of Exercise Fetish The Birth of a New Brand of Exercise Fetish

From Bikram yoga to Tae Bo, the 1990s exploded with exoticized consumer fitness products.

Dec 13, 2022 / Feature / Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Trumpism Was Born in the ’90s

Trumpism Was Born in the ’90s Trumpism Was Born in the ’90s

Clintonian centrism allowed the radical right to incubate.

Dec 12, 2022 / Feature / Jeet Heer

The 1990s Were Meant to Be the End of History—Instead They Birthed the Future

The 1990s Were Meant to Be the End of History—Instead They Birthed the Future The 1990s Were Meant to Be the End of History—Instead They Birthed the Future

Welcome to The Nation’s '90s issue, a heady romp through the decade that set the stage for the present moment.

Dec 12, 2022 / Lizzy Ratner, Regina Mahone, Ludwig Hurtado, and Alana Pockros

Mall of America, 1992.

The Rise and Fall of the Mall The Rise and Fall of the Mall

Alexandra Lange's Meet Me by the Fountain recovers the forgotten past and the still hopeful future of the American shopping mall.

Dec 12, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Melvin Backman

A protester at the 1999 World Trade Organization demon

How the Left Was Lost in the 1990s—but Found Its Way Again How the Left Was Lost in the 1990s—but Found Its Way Again

In the 1990s, the left was embattled and diminished. But it kept the flame burning just enough for a new generation to come along and give it oxygen.

Dec 12, 2022 / Feature / Naomi Klein

How Food Became a Weapon in the Right’s Culture Wars

How Food Became a Weapon in the Right’s Culture Wars How Food Became a Weapon in the Right’s Culture Wars

First came the politics of right-wing grievance. Then came the new foodie culture. Together, they combined to create one toxic food fight.

Dec 12, 2022 / Feature / Brent Cunningham

Staughton Lynd at peace march

Staughton Lynd Never Lost the Courage of His Convictions Staughton Lynd Never Lost the Courage of His Convictions

The historian and activist, who died last month, paid a steep price for his commitments. Yet he managed to find a way to keep agitating, and keep writing, while always remaining tr...

Dec 5, 2022 / Joshua Freeman

The Polycrisis at the Border

The Polycrisis at the Border The Polycrisis at the Border

Levi Vonk’s Border Hacker digs into the intersecting failures that have led to a brutal system of forced displacement in the Americas.

Dec 1, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Caroline Tracey

Beverly Gage on J. Edgar Hoover, Plus Erwin Chemerinsky on Originalism

Beverly Gage on J. Edgar Hoover, Plus Erwin Chemerinsky on Originalism Beverly Gage on J. Edgar Hoover, Plus Erwin Chemerinsky on Originalism

On this week of the Start Making Sense podcast, a look into the untold life of the former FBI director, and a discussion about “originalism” and the Supreme Court.

Dec 1, 2022 / Podcast / Jon Wiener and Start Making Sense

What the Grimkes’s Family History Tells Us About the United States

What the Grimkes’s Family History Tells Us About the United States What the Grimkes’s Family History Tells Us About the United States

In The Grimkes, historian Kerri Greenidge offers a powerful and unique account of this family's history—an account that offers tales of slavery, violence, loss, resilience, and red...

Nov 30, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Kellie Carter Jackson

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