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
Work and vocation
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The ways Sugar Babies navigate two roles: lover and employee
‘Sugaring’ involves the commodification of romance – presenting a puzzle of love, labour and autonomy for those involved
by Brynn Valentine
Parenting and families
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Why are tiger parents willing to trade love for success?
Growing up under tiger parenting, I’ve seen that pushing a child to succeed often fails – and isn’t worth the emotional cost
by Louis Li
Community
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Does embracing local customs help immigrants feel at home?
Moving from Belgrade to Toronto, learning the social ‘rules’ fostered my sense of belonging. But there’s an important caveat
by Ljiljana Radenović
Eating disorders
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Learning to cook taught me that self-care isn’t selfish
In healing my relationship with food and cooking, I saw how caring for myself was the first step toward caring for others
by Céline Leboeuf
History of psychology and psychiatry
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In psychoanalysis, nostalgia was a sickness. It needn’t be
Nostalgia was, in Freud’s day, an illness steeped in the past. Today, it can be a joyful emotion that reframes the future
by Agnes Arnold-Forster
Gender
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There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity
From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary
by Chris Wheatley
Communication and language
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Censoring offensive language threatens our freedom to think
The modern obsession with textual purity stems from a misapplication of the philosophies of Wittgenstein and Derrida
by Paul Ham
Play
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The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play
This is about more than a self-help switch – it will take structural changes to reject capitalism’s productivity obsession
by Alec Stubbs
Thinkers and theories
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How the feminist philosopher Helene Stöcker canonised Nietzsche
Despite Nietzsche’s reputation for misogyny, his work inspired a leading women’s rights activist of the early 20th century
by Lydia Moland
Technology and media
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The illusion of closeness: how social media redefined respect
As we share and like and post, have our notions of restraint transformed so profoundly that all dignity becomes abandoned?
by Lutif Ali Halo
Grief
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After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale
Ibn Tufayl’s story of a man mourning the gazelle who raised him helped me appreciate the interconnection of all things
by Veronica Menaldi
Rituals and celebrations
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Together forever: ‘at-home burial’ in southern Vietnam
What might a traveller along the Mekong Delta learn about the beliefs and traditions behind the country’s elevated tombs?
by Gina Elia