Cultural Criticism and Analysis

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’ 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 open casket

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? 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

declaration of independence painting by John Trumbull

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 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 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

Trump speech

Trump’s America Is Like a Dystopian Novel, With One Importance Difference Trump’s America Is Like a Dystopian Novel, With One Importance Difference

We’re not readers, but active participants—with the ability to rewrite the ending.

Mar 13, 2017 / John Feffer

The Mind of a Feminist

The Mind of a Feminist The Mind of a Feminist

A new book by Siri Hustvedt offers challenging ways to understand how misogyny became so deeply embedded in our culture.

Mar 8, 2017 / Alina Cohen

Syd from The Internet

Syd’s Quiet Storm Syd’s Quiet Storm

No longer in the background of Odd Future, the Los Angeles singer is finding her voice.

Mar 2, 2017 / Marcus J. Moore

Donald Trump

The Only Thing More Dangerous Than Trump’s Appeal to Common Sense Is His Dismissal of It The Only Thing More Dangerous Than Trump’s Appeal to Common Sense Is His Dismissal of It

The president’s taste for fact-free fantasy is based not in traditional American populism but in authoritarianism.

Mar 1, 2017 / Sophia Rosenfeld

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