Essay Yes, the Chinese care about the Western classics January 24, 2023 Much as in Europe and the US, the ancient Greeks live on in China through their works鈥攁t least, recently so. Over the past century, the philosophical and political texts of western antiquity, especially those of classical Athens, have sparked the interest of Chinese intellectuals, journalists, reformers, and nationalists. Read More
Podcast Listen in: How the Universe Got Its Spots January 20, 2023 Is the universe infinite or just really big?聽With this question, cosmologist Janna Levin announces the central theme of this book, which established her as one of the most direct, unorthodox, and creative voices in contemporary science. Read More
Podcast The Wife of Bath January 20, 2023 Ever since her triumphant debut in Chaucer鈥檚 Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, arguably the first ordinary and recognisably real woman in English literature, has obsessed readers鈥攆rom Shakespeare to James Joyce, Voltaire to Pasolini, Dryden to Zadie Smith. Read More
Essay The curse of long-ruling autocrats January 18, 2023 In October 2022, during the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping was 鈥渞eelected鈥� as the party鈥檚 chairman, paving his way for a third term as China鈥檚 top political leader. Read More
Podcast Back to the Moon January 18, 2023 Just over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. Read More
Podcast An excerpt from The Aesthetic Cold War January 17, 2023 In 鈥淎frica and Her Writers,鈥� a feisty Chinua Achebe begins by proclaiming, 鈥淎rt for art鈥檚 sake is just another piece of deodorized dog shit.鈥� The joke, of course, comes at high modernism鈥檚 expense, and he was neither the first nor the last figure from decolonizing regions of the world to rail against writing for a privileged few. Read More
Essay On the misuse of legacy: The Struggle for the People鈥檚 King January 14, 2023 On a humid day in late August 2010, the right-wing Tea Party activist and Fox News television host Glenn Beck held a rally to 鈥淩estore Honor鈥� at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Read More
Podcast Listen in: Queer Career January 13, 2023 Workplaces have traditionally been viewed as 鈥渟traight spaces鈥� in which queer people passed. As a result, historians have directed limited attention to the experiences of queer people on the job.聽 Read More
Essay Flipping failure January 09, 2023 鈥淔ailing big鈥� has been much in the news鈥攊t鈥檚 part of an exciting strategy that also includes 鈥渕ove fast and break things鈥� and 鈥渘o risk, no reward!鈥� But what about failing small? Read More
Podcast Listen in: What Do You Want Out of Life? January 06, 2023 What do you want out of life? To make a lot of money鈥攐r work for justice? To run marathons鈥攐r sing in a choir? To have children鈥攐r travel the world? The things we care about in life鈥攆amily, friendship, leisure activities, work, our moral ideals鈥攐ften conflict, preventing us from doing what matters most to us. Read More
Video PUP Speaks: Karen Greenberg on the long legacy from 9/11 to 1/6 January 05, 2023 The events of both September 11, 2001 and January 6, 2021 were unprecedented in our nation鈥檚 history. In this video from Karen Greenberg, we can see how increased secrecy and decreased accountability within American politics post 9/11 fostered a political climate in which Trumpism was able to thrive. Read More
Podcast The Aesthetic Cold War January 04, 2023 How did superpower competition and the cold war affect writers in the decolonizing world? Peter Kalliney explores the various ways that rival states used cultural diplomacy and the political police to influence writers. Read More
Video PUP Speaks: Jay Phelan and Terry Burnham on how to uncover 'the secret syllabus' January 03, 2023 Drawing on decades of learning and teaching experience, Professors Jay Phelan and Terry Burnham show how students at both graduate and undergraduate levels can master the 鈥榮ecret syllabus鈥� and get the most out of their college experience. Read More
Essay Lessons from the past about the future of capitalism January 02, 2023 The capitalist economic system has delivered wealth to the world population on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, many people feel unhappy about how little the economy does for them. Read More
Interview Daisy Hay on Dinner with Joseph Johnson January 01, 2023 Joseph Johnson was an extraordinary man, who brought together an extraordinary range of people.聽But Dinner with Joseph Johnson is not straightforwardly a biography of him鈥攐r even a book about him. Read More
