Cultural Criticism and Analysis

A scene from About Dry Grasses.

The Genius of Nuri Bilge Ceylan The Genius of Nuri Bilge Ceylan

About Dry Grasses is long, dense, elliptical—and brilliant.

Feb 26, 2024 / Books & the Arts / A. S. Hamrah

Then–US President Donald Trump holds a Bible outside of St. John's Episcopal church in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2020. Trump was due to make a televised address to the nation after days of protests against police brutality.

Hit Trump on Theocracy, Not Hypocrisy Hit Trump on Theocracy, Not Hypocrisy

The former president’s alliance with religious fanatics is a far bigger problem than his lack of piety.

Feb 23, 2024 / Jeet Heer

An illustration of interior design, 1951.

The Bad Politics of Good Taste The Bad Politics of Good Taste

Nathalie Olah’s exploration of the ethics of tastefulness dissects the class-bounded nature of most social and cultural mores.

Feb 15, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Lauren Kelly

Has Cuba Met the End of History?

Has Cuba Met the End of History? Has Cuba Met the End of History?

In Cubanthropy, the critic Iván de la Nuez traces how the island nation and its diaspora shoulder the legacy of the revolution.

Feb 6, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Miriam Pensack

Charleston Removes John C. Calhoun Statue From City's Marion Square

The Party of Lincoln Is Really the Party of Calhoun The Party of Lincoln Is Really the Party of Calhoun

Nikki Haley and Greg Abbott echo the theorist of secession.

Feb 2, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Is Derek Penslar the Wrong Kind of Jew for Harvard?

Is Derek Penslar the Wrong Kind of Jew for Harvard? Is Derek Penslar the Wrong Kind of Jew for Harvard?

He’s a distinguished scholar, director of Harvard’s Center for Jewish Studies, and former president of the American Academy for Jewish Research. But Bill Ackman doesn’t like him.

Feb 2, 2024 / Eric Alterman

Nikki Haley talks to a group of people while campaigning in New Hampshire.

Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy Can’t Escape GOP Racism Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy Can’t Escape GOP Racism

The two presidential candidates are boxed in by the bigotry they deny exists.

Jan 19, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Extracting heroin from poppies on April 10, 1978, in Los Angeles, Calif.

A Metaphysical Memoir of Heroin A Metaphysical Memoir of Heroin

Michael Clune’s White Out is among the most intense and intellectually thrilling books on opiate addiction.

Jan 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Kolitz

The Medieval-ness of Mark Zuckerberg

The Medieval-ness of Mark Zuckerberg The Medieval-ness of Mark Zuckerberg

There’s something very feudal about his massive doomsday bunker.

Dec 22, 2023 / Kate Wagner

Rudy Giuliani, the former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman US District Courthouse on December 15, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

The Real Tragedy of Rudy Giuliani The Real Tragedy of Rudy Giuliani

The disgraced former mayor was a racist authoritarian—even back when he was being celebrated by the mainstream media.

Dec 18, 2023 / Jeet Heer

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