Emotional creatures and the cultivation of mental health August 21, 2023 In Britain and America, mental health is increasingly thought of as a transversal issue, as important for psychologists as for patients, probation workers as for prisoners, politicians as for constituents. Read More
Uber’s view of urban life August 21, 2023 For years, Diana, who has lived her whole life in the D.C. area, took jobs at fast-food restaurants even though she hated the work. When she started to drive for Uber in 2016, she told us she was enthusiastic about its potential to free her from a reliance on fast-food jobs. Diana was conflicted about Uber, however. Read More
Will social scientists’ disputes over words ever end? August 16, 2023 Social scientists observe the social world. They measure and represent it. They advance and test truth claims about it. For these purposes, they classify things, they sort them into classes, they draw distinctions among them. Read More
In dialogue: Women in translation August 16, 2023 In recent years, “Women in Translation” month has emerged as a critical platform for questioning the underrepresentation of women authors in translated literature and exploring the significance of bringing their works to a global audience. At its core lie the vital and pressing questions: Why aren’t more works by women being translated, and why are women in translation so important? Read More
Office Hours with Clayton Childress, Angèle Christin, and Iddo Tavory August 14, 2023 This month’s Office Hours comes with an exciting announcement: We are welcoming three new editors—Clayton Childress, Angèle Christin, and Iddo Tavory—to the Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology! Read More
Insect apocalypse August 14, 2023 Insects underpin almost all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. But in the last few decades, populations all over the world have collapsed with terrifying speed. Read More
Virtuous Bankers August 07, 2023 The eighteenth-century Bank of England was an institution that operated for the benefit of its shareholders—and yet came to be considered, as Adam Smith described it, “a great engine of state.” Read More
Summer reading July 31, 2023 Are you ready to fill your vacation time and your beach bag with thought-provoking summer reads? Find the best paperbacks for summer among these selections, whether you prefer to delve into real-world ethical questions, Edgar Allan Poe, or the surprising truths behind mythic marvels. Read More
Spotlight on Supporting Diverse Voices: Cara Ocobock July 31, 2023 In this Author Q&A, we highlight the work of Dr. Cara Ocobock, Supporting Diverse Voices grantee and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at University of Notre Dame. Read More
Pleasure and Efficacy July 30, 2023 Grace Lavery investigates gender transition as it has been experienced and represented in the modern period. Considering examples that range from the novels of George Eliot to the psychoanalytic practice of Sigmund Freud to marriage manuals by Marie Stopes, Lavery explores the skepticism found in such works about whether it is truly possible to change one’s sex. Read More
On origins, Africa, and the novelty of knowledge July 30, 2023 Every living being has origins. Yes, plural, because living organisms adapt and change over time. Read More
Nicolas Mathevon on The Voices of Nature July 27, 2023 Did you know that elephant seals recognize each other by voice? That flies emit sounds with their wings to communicate during courtship? That bird nestlings learn their song by imitating an adult? The world of animal communication is far more incredible than you might think. Read More
Plato the constitutionalist—and the Supreme Court July 27, 2023 A cabal of unelected men and women appointed with tenure for life, making the most important decisions for an entire society with no chance of appeal. That is a good description of the United States Supreme Court. It’s also a good description of the philosopher-rulers of Plato’s Republic. Read More
The everyday surveillance of undocumented immigrants July 26, 2023 Undocumented immigrants live within a tangled web of institutional surveillance that both threatens and maintains their societal presence as they deal with life’s ups and downs. Read More
The guardian tree: The birthplace of Carl Linnaeus July 26, 2023 In ancient times, Nordic people believed that the World Tree was an ash and the protective guardian tree a linden—a Tilia. The biography of Linnaeus should surely begin with a linden. Read More
