Books and Ideas

Mandate boundary lines in the Pacific islands, 1921.

Imperialism With an Internationalist Face Imperialism With an Internationalist Face

In her masterful new study of the League of Nations, Susan Pedersen shows how the organization helped prolong the era of colonialism.

Oct 29, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Martti Koskenniemi

Abandoned newspaper vending machines, Covina, California, 2011.

Is Complicity Now the Entry Fee for Critique? Is Complicity Now the Entry Fee for Critique?

A new app brings clarity to an old situation: the collaboration between journalism and capitalism.

Oct 29, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Joshua Clover

William LeBeau, 86, right, sits in his golf cart in The Villages.

What’s It Like Growing Old in the New Economy? What’s It Like Growing Old in the New Economy?

Danish architect Deane Simpson explores this vexing question in his book Young-Old: Urban Utopias of an Aging Society.

Oct 27, 2015 / Matthew Shen Goodman

What Will It Take To Force a Real Conversation About Climate Change?

What Will It Take To Force a Real Conversation About Climate Change? What Will It Take To Force a Real Conversation About Climate Change?

Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis, and Wen Stephenson discuss the truly transformative change that our climate crisis requires.

Oct 26, 2015 / Wen Stephenson, Naomi Klein, and Avi Lewis

October 24, 1923: Denise Levertov Is Born

October 24, 1923: Denise Levertov Is Born October 24, 1923: Denise Levertov Is Born

Denise Levertov, born on this day in 1923, was The Nation’s poetry editor in the 1960s. Her first poem in our pages was “The Sage,” published in the issue of November 1, 1958. The…

Oct 24, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

LIVE: Between the Lines With Ta-Nehisi Coates

LIVE: Between the Lines With Ta-Nehisi Coates LIVE: Between the Lines With Ta-Nehisi Coates

An intimate public conversation with the author of Between the World and Me, streaming today at 6:30 pm, est.

Oct 22, 2015 / The Nation

Marilynne Robinson

Humanism, Science, and the Radical Expansion of the Possible Humanism, Science, and the Radical Expansion of the Possible

Why we shouldn’t let neuroscience banish mystery from human life.

Oct 22, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Marilynne Robinson

Detail from Pablo Picasso’s Guitar (1924).

The Noisy Silence of Picasso’s Guitars The Noisy Silence of Picasso’s Guitars

His sculptures reveal the artist’s secret affinities with nascent anti-colonialist movements.

Oct 22, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Self as Sovereign

Self as Sovereign Self as Sovereign

Where do we get the notion of mind as separate from body?

Oct 22, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Emily Wilson

Margo Jefferson

10 Questions for Margo Jefferson 10 Questions for Margo Jefferson

The author of Negroland explains her long journey from cheerleader to literary critic.

Oct 22, 2015 / Jon Wiener

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