The Protests That Made and Unmade Japan’s Postwar Left The Protests That Made and Unmade Japan’s Postwar Left
The demonstrations against the Anpo treaty remain the largest protest movement in Japanese history and yet their defeat cleared the path for decades of conservative rule.
Mar 3, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Colin Jones
Jenny Offill’s Novel of Climate Dread Jenny Offill’s Novel of Climate Dread
In Weather, Offill is reluctant to offer false comfort, but she does ask us if worrying is enough.
Mar 2, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Tony Tulathimutte
Reading Richard Rorty in Tehran Reading Richard Rorty in Tehran
What the American philosopher’s visit to Tehran in 2004 can teach us about Iranian society—and our own.
Feb 28, 2020 / Samuel Thrope
The Chicago Police Department’s History of Torture The Chicago Police Department’s History of Torture
Laurence Ralph’s The Torture Letters recounts an extensive history of police abuse and violence in the CPD.
Feb 27, 2020 / Ed Burmila
WWII’s Refugee Academics and the Myth of a Welcoming American Academy WWII’s Refugee Academics and the Myth of a Welcoming American Academy
Laurel Leff’s Well Worth Saving looks at the lives of Jewish professors who sought asylum in the United States and were denied entry.
Feb 26, 2020 / Hannah Stamler
Trump Has Lifted the Mask From Our Empty Political Traditions Trump Has Lifted the Mask From Our Empty Political Traditions
His naked callousness has shown plainly that these rituals sometimes reveal the nonsense they’re meant to cover up.
Feb 25, 2020 / Andrew J. Bacevich
The Removal of Lt. Col. Vindman (and His Brother) From the White House Staff The Removal of Lt. Col. Vindman (and His Brother) From the White House Staff
To White House employees the message is clear: For someone who wants to protect his career, Acceptance of alternate facts is required. And telling the truth can now get you fired.
Feb 18, 2020 / Column / Calvin Trillin
The Making of France’s Presidential System The Making of France’s Presidential System
Focusing on the tensions between top-down reforms and bottom-up democratic discontent, Herrick Chapman’s new history tells a very different story about postwar France.
Feb 18, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Hugo Drochon
Ricardo Piglia’s Books of Disquiet Ricardo Piglia’s Books of Disquiet
As he witnessed the dissolution of civil society under a series of repressive governments, the Argentine novelist and critic began recording the most mundane parts of everyday life...
Feb 17, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jessica Loudis