The history of family offers a liberating view of custom and love
Chronicling the families of the past shows just how much family values, feelings and decision-making can morph over time
by Katie Barclay
Sam is a historian of early America with a particular interest in religion and politics. He was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and has been a faculty member at the American University of Beirut, the American University in Cairo and at Columbia University in New York City. He was a Senior Executive Producer at Al Jazeera America and is the author of The Origins of American Religious Nationalism (paperback, 2016). @samhaselby
Edited by Sam Haselby
Before it was ‘bittersweet’, nostalgia was seen as a parasite
Early modern ideas about nostalgia, infused with the elements of horror, invite us to think more deeply about human longing
by Jac Lewis
My great-grandfather poisoned drinkers during Prohibition
In a grim irony, his descendants – my grandmother and mother – struggled with drink. Here’s what I’d tell him about addiction
by Rebecca Lester
For this unsung philosopher, metaphors make life an adventure
Susanne K Langer understood the indispensable power of metaphors, which allow us to say new things with old words
by Sue Curry Jansen & Jeff Pooley
True solidarity requires Burke’s ‘sympathetic revenge’
Social media utterances aren’t enough. Burke’s stand against colonial injustice shows we must confront our own complicity
by Jack Jacobs
Social comparison is driving us to despair. It doesn’t have to
In the social media age, it seems impossible not to measure ourselves against others – but we can dodge the worst pitfalls
by Wojciech Kaftański
We need the toolkit of utopian thinking, now more than ever
Many dismiss utopian ideas. But imagining a better world is a vital political skill for tackling today’s challenges
by Caitlin Rajan
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