Essays
Malcolm X’s Prison Poetry
Previous Malcolm X biographies did him a disservice by skimming over his period of incarceration. Behind prison walls, he developed his mind and his faith, honing his love for language. It was a formative time, best understood by considering what he read and appreciating what he wrote.
Faces of the American Dream
Between 1905 and 1925, a clerk at Ellis Island took photographs of immigrants to the U.S. Today, the images created by Augustus Sherman are providing a point of departure for research and an inspiration for artworks.
By Rejecting Evidence of Genocide in Gaza, the US Is Following a Familiar Pattern
The administrations of both Joe Biden and now Donald Trump have vociferously denounced a growing international legal consensus that Israel has been violating the Genocide Convention. This follows a decades-long pattern of the U.S. government denying, downplaying and rationalizing genocide and related crimes against humanity by American allies.
The Making and Mourning of Ahmad Adawiya, a Musical Legend
In 1975, when Egyptian radio commentators ranked the best singers of their time, Ahmad Adawiya’s name did not even feature. Yet a new medium, the humble cassette, would allow his popular shaabi songs, often scorned by critics, to reach an audience beyond the gatekeepers and change the country’s musical landscape.
Brigid, Ireland’s Antiestablishment Saint
Ireland’s Brigid is a cipher representing the country’s changing values. A saint sidelined by the Catholic Church, her star is ascendant today as more people identify with her alternative presentation as a pagan goddess. But records of the real Brigid, unlike those of many early saints, are compelling.
Unveiling the Ugly Underside of Post-Ottoman Nation-Building
The formation of states in the post-Ottoman Balkans owed much to individuals who had thrived in a world of rural lawlessness, warfare and violence. They brought the characteristics of frontier societies to bear on the political culture of these new countries, with lasting effects.
Orkney, the Surprising Center of Neolithic Britain
Thousands of years ago, Orkney was at the heart of Neolithic northern Europe — its landmark buildings welcoming vast numbers of people. Now the main archaeological site on the island has been reburied after 20 years of astonishing research, just as it’s revealed that the Altar Stone of Stonehenge came from nearby.