MADE BY HISTORYLove our history or hate it — just aim to understand it
The extraordinary events that have marked the past six years have proved we badly need good history.
By Kathryn Cramer Brownell, Carly Goodman and Brian RosenwaldSpace inspires awe. So does collaboration that helps us understand it.
The most otherworldly thing about space? We have to work together to understand it.
By Lorraine DastonFeminists have long supported trans rights
Despite the acronym gaining prominence online, history shows that TERFs aren’t aligned with most feminists.
By Kelsy BurkeTrump wants no limits on presidential power. That’s not new for the GOP.
Republicans have embraced this idea for more than 40 years.
By Joseph LowndesThe erasure of racist violence gave Jason Aldean plausible deniability
Public acknowledgements of racist violence ensure that stories like Henry Choate’s are part of our collective memory.
By Travis PattersonWorries about a gender gap on campuses oversimplify the situation
Complaints about too many women on college campuses are centuries old.
By Glenn C. Altschuler and David WippmanAlabama dusts off an old playbook for diluting the Black vote
Efforts at suppressing Black political power are nothing new. But now, federal courts may not be willing to curb them.
By Duncan HosieIn our new age of disasters, centralized responses are needed
The magnitude and frequency of extreme events outstrips the ability of states and localities to respond.
By Cindy ErmusThe ‘groomer’ anti-LGBTQ+ panic is not new — and has caused immense harm
Across the world, visibility and advances in LGBTQ rights have sometimes been met with panics around youths.
By Susanna Cassisa‘Pins and Needles’ redux: Theater can propel solidarity and score wins for labor
A 1930s musical shows how art can be a tool to advance the collective good.
By Einav Rabinovitch-FoxRon DeSantis is right, it’s time for a new Monroe Doctrine
But it needs to reckon with the problems of the original policy and the damage it did.
By Sean A. MirskiThe $1 billion Powerball jackpot exposed the prevalence of lottery ads
Despite being government run, lottery advertising preys on poor and marginalized communities.
By Jonathan D. CohenPools, gyms and libraries can make cities more livable for all
Access to public recreation is key to addressing inequality and promoting public safety.
By Menika DirksonMinnie Bruce Pratt’s voice is needed now more than ever
As a Southern queer woman, Pratt evoked a rich tapestry of queer love and trans desire.
By La Shonda MimsBefore the “1619 Project,” the paperback transformed popular history
The softcover book changed how people read — and shaped the public’s understanding of the past
By Nick WithamMedia spectacles have been key to advancing — or thwarting — racial justice
Moms for Liberty is only the latest example of a social movement making savvy use of the media.
By Aniko BodroghkozyRussia’s attacks on Ukrainian culture are a hallmark of modern war
Destroying cultural sites is not only about winning wars, but about enduring consequences.
By A.Roger EkirchFor 150 years, we’ve sought a scientific solution to cure addiction
A miracle cure for addiction may not be around the corner.
By Simon TorracintaThe history of Memphis set the stage for the killing of Tyre Nichols
In 1866, as anti-Black police harassment raised tensions, an altercation between Black men and White police escalated into a shootout that led to a massacre.
By Isaiah Stafford and Kathy Roberts FordeBorn-again Christians are less Southern Baptist than they used to be
The religious right is still the backbone of the GOP, but it is changing denominationally.
By Flavio Rogerio Hickel Jr, Fanhao Nie, Leah Payne and Tarah Williams