From ancient Babylonian princesses and rebellious medieval nuns to Nineteenth-century New England mill girls and the women of modern day Afghanistan, women readers have sparked controversy in every era of human history. In her new book, The Woman Reader, Belinda Jack traces the stories of these women, which are marked
In a year crowded with international events like the Olympics—and yes, the 2012 U.S. presidential election—it might seem appropriate to repeat last July’s Global and International Studies theme, but instead, we’d like to broaden the relevance by narrowing the point; focusing our attention on one “corner” of the world and
On the heels of Mexico’s 2012 election, which found the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) back in power after 12 years, questions remain about what this means for the drug wars, Mexican foreign policy, and its relationship with the US. In Mexico: Democracy Interruptedauthor Jo Tuckman explores the narcotics war, the
From the Cro-Magnon cave to the digital bookstore, Belinda Jack covers a lot of ground in her new book, The Woman Reader, the first to address the controversies associated with women’s reading throughout history, and to show how vastly different women’s reading experiences have often been compared to those of men.
Where do we draw the line between our own personal history – history with a small “h” – and the History we consider public knowledge – history with a big “H”? This is an important question for historical researchers of any caliber. It shapes the way we value (and the
Proverbs may by nature be short, but they pack an a lot of wisdom in a short space. Test your knowledge of proverbs with our Dictionary of Modern Proverbs quiz. Can you figure out what piece of wisdom is missing? Or when they were first used? You might be surprised
A sensitive discussion will ensue for anyone who names Carl Van Vechten a “father” of the Harlem Renaissance. Although married to Russian actress Fania Marinoff, Van Vechten never had children. Nevertheless, he was a patron and active supporter of many young artists and writers, including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston,
In honor of National Dairy Month in June, we thought you might like a taste of Deborah Valenze’s Milk: A Local and Global History, covering the illuminating cultural history of milk, from ancient myth to modern grocery store, now available in paperback from Yale University Press. Deborah Valenze— Cows that
When three heads are put together, the results can be shockingly revelatory. Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro have now compiled The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, the first proverb dictionary to be based on electronic research from full-text databases. With more than 1,400 entries, this exhaustive collection
London Olympics 2012: Whose Games Are They Anyway?
Neil Faulkner is the author of A Visitor’s Guide to the Ancient Olympics, now available from Yale University Press. With only 30 days left before the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, we thought to share some insight into the side of the Games you won’t see, even those as
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