To be creative, Chinese philosophy teaches us to abandon ‘originality’
Whether grieving a death or connecting to colleagues, creativity enables an artful life, according to Chinese philosophy
by Julianne Chung
Cultural diversity
What rude jibes about Caesar tell us about sex in ancient Rome
‘Every woman’s man and every man’s woman’ was a slur Julius Caesar’s political opponents levied. What did it mean?
by Aven McMaster
Persianate ‘adab’ involves far more than elegant manners
Across 13th- to 19th-century Persianate culture, ‘adab’ meant more than manners – it was proper social and aesthetic form
by Mana Kia
Why a Sufi approach to healing mental illness is so powerful
In Sufi shrines, rituals offer sufferers a path beyond the fear and isolation of their mental distress
by Bhrigupati Singh
Why the first Buddhas in art wore finely folded Greek tunics
How the iconography of Greek art influenced the development of an increasingly standardised image of the Buddha in India
by Garrett Ryan
One good way to understand religion is to break it apart
To understand what religion means, don’t reach for the dictionary. Better that you take it apart, break it, even throw it away
by Joseph Blankholm
In Nyāya philosophy, only some debates are worth having
For the Indian philosopher Vācaspati Miśra, the only debates worth having aim at truth. No point-scoring or put-downs
by Malcolm Keating
Learning Nahuatl, the flower song, and the poetics of life
Learning to think and feel in Nahuatl, the poetic language of my ancestors, broke me down and remade me
by David Bowles
What Aboriginal people know about the pathways of knowledge
For Aboriginal peoples, knowledge is specific to cultures: what is true and relevant for one might not be so for another
by Stephen Muecke
Why Spanish colonial officials feared the power of clothing
Colonial society depends on a clear distinction between the rulers and the ruled. Clothing could create problems
by Rebecca Earle
Why academia should embrace ‘Grandma’s metaphysics’
‘Grandma’s metaphysics’ and other sources of wisdom are vital if academia is to embrace diversity and fully benefit from it
by Devin Sanchez Curry
Cultural differences are far more nuanced than East vs West
It’s simply not the case that ‘Eastern’ cultures are relationally-minded, while ‘Western’ societies are individualistic
by Matt Huston
Softness controls hardness – a fighter’s gentle approach to life
Directed by Josef Reeve
The surprising way to tackle prejudice in the real world
The good news is there are many effective anti-prejudice interventions, but the most promising remains relatively unknown
by Wing Hsieh
The pleasure in not understanding a language can be awesome
From foreign speech to unfamiliar script, not understanding a language can be an awesome way to understand otherness
by Keith Kahn-Harris
What we lose by being overly scientific about healthcare
Empirical studies tell us about treatment outcomes, but they overlook the cultural dynamics that can help us feel better
by Ana Todorović