Making the World Over

Making the World Over

Confronting Racism, Misogyny, and Xenophobia in U.S. History

Political polarization and unrest are not exclusive to our era, but in the twenty-first century, we are living with seemingly unresolvable disagreements that threaten to tear our country apart. Discrimination, racism, tyranny, religious fundamentalism, political schisms, misogyny, “fake news,” border walls, the #MeToo moment, foreign intervention in our electoral process—these cultural and social rifts charge […]
Five factors that led to Chauvin guilty verdicts

Five factors that led to Chauvin guilty verdicts

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted April 20 for his killing of George Floyd. Collectively, people across the country breathed a sigh of relief because far too often, the story has been police killing people of color with impunity, says an expert on race and the law at Washington University in St. Louis.
Yamamba

Yamamba

In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch

Alluring, nurturing, dangerous, and vulnerable the yamamba, or Japanese mountain witch, has intrigued audiences for centuries. What is it about the fusion of mountains with the solitary old woman that produces such an enigmatic figure? And why does she still call to us in this modern, scientific era? Co-editors Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich […]
The Kimono Tattoo

The Kimono Tattoo

“I jostled her shoulder and noticed when I did that her skin was cold to the touch….her entire torso was covered in tattoos from her collar bone to the midline of her thighs. All were of kimono motifs—fans, incense burners, peonies, and scrolls.”  This ghastly scene was the last thing Ruth Bennett expected to encounter […]
Electrifying Mexico

Electrifying Mexico

Technology and the Transformation of a Modern City

Many visitors to Mexico City’s 1886 Electricity Exposition were amazed by their experience of the event, which included magnetic devices, electronic printers, and a banquet of light. It was both technological spectacle and political messaging, for speeches at the event lauded President Porfirio Díaz and bound such progress to his vision of a modern order. […]
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