What America’s 19th-Century Reformers and Radicals Missed What America’s 19th-Century Reformers and Radicals Missed
A new book on the antebellum period captures the dangers of confusing self-improvement with institutional change.
Apr 18, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Brenda Wineapple
It’s Time to Resurrect the Counterculture Movement It’s Time to Resurrect the Counterculture Movement
The largest progressive mobilization since the Vietnam era offers a unique opportunity.
Apr 17, 2017 / Ira Chernus
‘Thought Leaders’ and the Plutocrats Who Love Them ‘Thought Leaders’ and the Plutocrats Who Love Them
The wealthy have taken over intellectual culture, and it’s devastating progressive politics.
Apr 12, 2017 / Column / Eric Alterman
Who Needs the NEA and NEH? Who Needs the NEA and NEH?
What is really lost when we cut public funds for the arts and humanities.
Apr 7, 2017 / David Hajdu
The Crisis of the Liberal Order and Pankaj Mishra’s ‘Age of Anger’ The Crisis of the Liberal Order and Pankaj Mishra’s ‘Age of Anger’
Fundamental reformation is required, if we are to do better than the world he describes.
Apr 6, 2017 / Patrick Lawrence
Dana Schutz’s Right to Make Art Dana Schutz’s Right to Make Art
The controversy over “Open Casket” forces us to reconsider whether an artist’s identity matters.
Apr 6, 2017 / Column / Katha Pollitt
Is Our Common Humanity a Discovery or an Invention? Is Our Common Humanity a Discovery or an Invention?
A new book offers a panoramic view of how we came to recognize each other as equals.
Apr 6, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Michael Walzer
What Did Equality Mean for the Founders? What Did Equality Mean for the Founders?
Three new books on the early republic explore the critical, if contested, role equality has played in shaping American political culture.
Apr 5, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Sophia Rosenfeld
The Red Emigrant The Red Emigrant
For Isaac Deutscher, exile helped him discover his real community—the internationalist left.
Mar 30, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Bruce Robbins
The Serendipiter’s Journey The Serendipiter’s Journey
Gay Talese’s eye for detail turned out to be not only his strength but also his greatest weakness.
Mar 15, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Michelle Dean