Culture

Reconstruction of Teleilat el Ghassul

From Opium to Saffron, the Ancients Knew a Thing or Two About Drugs From Opium to Saffron, the Ancients Knew a Thing or Two About Drugs

Scholars of antiquity are finding ever more evidence that psychoactive substances played a central role in ancient life.

Mar 22, 2022 / Feature / Karen Polinger Foster, Diana Stein, and Sarah Kielt Costello

The Secret Black History of LSD

The Secret Black History of LSD The Secret Black History of LSD

Research on psychedelics, then and now, has been riddled with medical racism and exclusion. But that hasn’t stopped Black people from finding creativity and solace through such dru...

Mar 22, 2022 / Feature / Kali Holloway

A 20-Year Debacle in Afghanistan

A 20-Year Debacle in Afghanistan A 20-Year Debacle in Afghanistan

Why the American war was destined for catastrophe and tragedy from the start.

Mar 21, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Charlie Savage

Can a Thriller Capture the Feeling of Being Watched?

Can a Thriller Capture the Feeling of Being Watched? Can a Thriller Capture the Feeling of Being Watched?

Calla Henkel’s Other People’s Clothes mines the gossip and sleaze of early 2000s culture to tell a story about celebrity obsession and spectacle.

Mar 17, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Philippa Snow

The War of Words Between Between “Rashka” and Ukraine

The War of Words Between Between “Rashka” and Ukraine The War of Words Between Between “Rashka” and Ukraine

On the culture front between “Rashka” and Ukraine.

Mar 17, 2022 / Benjamin Moser

Zelensky speaking in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky Is Not a Comedian—and That’s No Joke Volodymyr Zelensky Is Not a Comedian—and That’s No Joke

A belated review of Servant of the People that may turn into an obituary.

Mar 16, 2022 / Barbara Garson

Alt-Lit’s Jeremiad Against the Novel

Alt-Lit’s Jeremiad Against the Novel Alt-Lit’s Jeremiad Against the Novel

Where Sean Thor Conroe’s Fuccboi fits in recent literary history.

Mar 16, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Cal Revely-Calder

A crowd of people gather along a dance, holding posters.

How Progressives Won the School Culture War—in New Hampshire! How Progressives Won the School Culture War—in New Hampshire!

An upset victory last week in a red state suggests that the Republican Party’s game plan for attacking public education may not be a winning strategy.

Mar 15, 2022 / Jennifer C. Berkshire

What We’re Still Getting Wrong About the Unabomber

What We’re Still Getting Wrong About the Unabomber What We’re Still Getting Wrong About the Unabomber

Ted Kaczynski’s violence—reexamined in a new biopic—fascinates US audiences, but not for the reasons we think.

Mar 15, 2022 / R.H. Lossin

Howardena Pindell’s Decades-Long Fight to Integrate the Art World

Howardena Pindell’s Decades-Long Fight to Integrate the Art World Howardena Pindell’s Decades-Long Fight to Integrate the Art World

There’s been a surge of interest in the 78-year-old artist’s work, but art institutions remain overwhelmingly white and male.

Mar 15, 2022 / Alana Pockros

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