Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic
Sahl diagnosed the disease of America in 1967 as “right-wing social democracy,” an ideology that is fine with war.
Nov 15, 2021 / Column / David Bromwich
The History of the United States as the History of Capitalism The History of the United States as the History of Capitalism
What gets lost when we view the American past as primarily a story about capitalism?
Nov 1, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Steven Hahn
How Thousands of Black Farmers Were Forced Off Their Land How Thousands of Black Farmers Were Forced Off Their Land
Black people own just 2 percent of farmland in the United States. A decades-long history of loan denials at the USDA is a major reason why.
Nov 1, 2021 / Feature / Kali Holloway
The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis
The Uruguayan American novelist’s The President and the Frog asks us to consider: What does it mean to be a good political actor?
Oct 29, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer
The Short, Quixotic History of North Korean Internationalism The Short, Quixotic History of North Korean Internationalism
Benjamin R. Young’s Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader explores how the country turned to isolationism after a failed influence campaign in the mid 20th century.
Oct 26, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Brian Ng
New York City’s State of Permanent Crisis New York City’s State of Permanent Crisis
How New Yorkers trying to ward off catastrophe paved the road to the privatized city.
Oct 14, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Nick Juravich
The Unsure State of Asian America The Unsure State of Asian America
A conversation with Jay Caspian Kang about how the term “Asian American” became “mostly meaningless.”
Oct 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rosemarie Ho
A September to Remember A September to Remember
Embroidering recent history.
Oct 12, 2021 / OppArt / India Tresselt
Did the Constitution Pave the Way to Emancipation? Did the Constitution Pave the Way to Emancipation?
In his new book, The Crooked Path to Abolition, James Oakes argues that the Constitution was an antislavery document.
Oct 6, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner
Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery
The historian and politician helped transform how several generations understood 18th- and 19th-century history.
Oct 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Gerald Horne