Memory’s Role in Chile’s Democratic Rebirth
In post-Pinochet Chile, public memory became a pathway to accountability.
Souvenir Hunting on the Battlefield of Waterloo
At Waterloo, a site of immense bloodshed, tourists quickly turned the aftermath of war into collectibles.
A History of Fakery on Film
Concerns about AI-made images have deep roots in the earliest years of filmmaking.
Disavowing Politics While Doing Politics
People often claim to be “nonpolitical” even as they seek policy change, a stance that supports civic action but narrows democratic debate.
Contesting American Citizenship… in 1784
The Longchamps Affair shows how early Americans struggled to define citizenship amid conflicting laws and revolutionary values.
In Pursuit of Peace, Ancient Athens Created a Goddess
In the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War, Athenians worshipped Eirene. Her cult reflects the political role of religion in Ancient Greece.
Rights of Nature: A Reading List
What would it mean for rivers, forests, and animals to have legal rights? A global movement is rethinking law’s relationship to nature.
A Brief History of Men Showing Leg
The story of the modern suit begins with tight pants, as men’s legs became markers of class, civility, and sexuality.
Samurai and Guerrillas: The First Official Japanese Visit
The first Japanese delegation to the US captivated crowds and confounded expectations, as the press cast its samurai as “effeminate.”
The Book That Became The Iron Giant
Before it was a cult classic, the Warner Bros. film began as a 1968 children’s novel by Ted Hughes, though the book and movie tell notably different tales.