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Human rights and justice

Painting of a man sitting, holding a crumpled letter while a black dog stands with its paw on his knee by a closed door.

Social history

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How the law soothed broken hearts in 19th-century America

What does a deep dive into the transcripts of historical seduction trials reveal about how we account for hurt feelings?

by Jinal Dadiya

A protest with people holding signs that read ‘We are worth more’ and ‘Strike for 15’; large Ronald McDonald figure in the background

Human rights and justice

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Most protests fail. What are activists doing right when they win?

The science of protest reveals successful tactics and common weak points. Those who want change should take it onboard

by Lisa Mueller

A bathroom scene featuring a metal toilet roll dispenser with a partially unrolled toilet paper, mounted on a tiled wall.

Human rights and justice

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Public toilets are vanishing and that’s a civic catastrophe

New research shows it is a nightmare for all of us, but especially for people with health issues and marginalised groups

by Guido Corradi

View from behind a wheelchair showing the back of red trainers, with people walking in the background on a pavement.

Disability

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Prejudice is more of a problem for some disabilities than others

It’s welcome that there’s more awareness of ableism, but further progress means digging into the varied ways it plays out

by Matt Huston

A woman in a black veil stands on a street in front of a building with a colourful sign and closed shops.

Human rights and justice

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The day the Taliban banned women like me from working

With my daughters’ education cancelled, I thought the regime had done its worst. Then a new message came from my office

by Nargis

A historical illustration of a man kneeling, holding a flag, surrounded by companions near a shore with ships in the background and dense jungle around.

Human rights and justice

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Hidden in translation – Jewish resistance to Spanish empire

Translation as a powerful form of resistance: how a 16th-century Sephardic Jew conquered the colonial narrative from Spain

by Flora Cassen

Busy city street at dusk with people walking, illuminated by bright lights from buildings and vehicles, including a lit-up truck and taxis in the background.

Disability

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A few simple steps could empower the world’s largest minority

What makes people like me disabled is not our bodies but the societies we live in. Let me inspire a rethink in your attitudes

by Paras Shah

Black-and-white photo of a group of people holding a banner that reads “DON’T CRY: RESIST!” on a rainy city street.

Civic life

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The origin story of a slogan, ‘the personal is political’

What the radical-feminist origins of the slogan ‘the personal is political’ can tell us about language in our own divided age

by Guy Stevenson

A stylised painting of a woman with short dark hair, bending her head forward against a pastel background with curved and dotted patterns.

Hallucinations and delusions

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Philosophy can help us connect, even in the face of psychosis

How phenomenological tools can help foster a relationship of true listening between clinicians and people with psychosis

by Rosa Ritunnano & Kasim Qureshi

Photo of two men in orange uniforms sitting on benches in a jail watching a small TV mounted on the wall.

Habits and routines

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Prison life puts the ‘time work’ we all do into sharp relief

Trapped in an ocean of time, prisoners exemplify the human impulse to take temporal experience into our own hands

by Michael G Flaherty

Four children on a carpeted floor eating corn on the cob, with divided plates of pasta, hot dogs, and utensils around them.

Progress and the future

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Over-optimism about racial justice is widespread and harmful

Achieving racial justice takes work, but narratives of ever-unfolding progress can make it seem as if the job is already done

by Michael Kraus

Sepia-toned vintage portrait of a man in a suit, looking to the right, with sideburns and neatly combed hair.

Civic life

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Ralph Waldo Emerson would really hate your Twitter feed

For Ralph Waldo Emerson, political activism was full of empty gestures done in bad faith. Abolition called for true heroism

by Peter Wirzbicki