Tag: Cultural Studies

Nostalgia for a lost nation in diasporic Iranian memoir.

September 22, 2016

BY NIMA NAGHIBIAssociate professor of English at Ryerson University, Toronto In this first decade and a half of the twenty-first century, diasporic Iranians, many of them women, are deploying the autobiographical form to narrate their personal experiences of life in post-revolutionary Iran and in the diaspora. The explosion of life writing in North America since … More Nostalgia for a lost nation in diasporic Iranian memoir.

The U.S. custom of tipping at restaurants, from the 1800s to now

September 16, 2016

Prior to the late nineteenth century, the practice of tipping in the United States was consideredhumiliating to waiters.Image source: An 1899 edition of Their Wedding Journey by William Dean Howells. BY KELLY ERBYAssistant professor of history at Washburn University Today, when Americans go out to eat at a restaurant that provides table service, it is … More The U.S. custom of tipping at restaurants, from the 1800s to now

How tourism is deeply implicated in the antagonistic global structures that lead to war.

August 9, 2016

BY DEBBIE LISLESchool of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast After the emergence of organized mass tourism in the mid-19th century, billions of people have indulged their desires to visit cultures, landscapes, and experiences different from their own. No place on the planet is immune to the tourist gaze: alongside familiar visits … More How tourism is deeply implicated in the antagonistic global structures that lead to war.

On the vengeance of a divided country, 1992 and 2016

July 28, 2016

BY LYNN MIE ITAGAKIAssociate professor, The Ohio State University Violence in the Middle East. Upheavals in Europe. Anxieties about American decline. Economic fears. A recent recession. Police brutality caught on video. Interracial conflict. Attacks on the police. A Clinton presidential campaign. The year was 1992, although it could just as easily be 2016. On the … More On the vengeance of a divided country, 1992 and 2016

Alive in the Age of Lovecraft

May 25, 2016

BY CARL H. SEDERHOLMProfessor of interdisciplinary humanities at Brigham Young University Under the right circumstances, certain texts suggest a “weird realism,” circumstances (as described by Graham Harman) when language either struggles to describe the impossibly real or when it overflows with multiple possibilities. One of H. P. Lovecraft’s strengths as a writer lies in his … More Alive in the Age of Lovecraft

The politics behind the metabolic health crisis in the United States

May 6, 2016

BY ANTHONY RYAN HATCHAssistant professor in the Science in Society Program at Wesleyan University Our metabolic health crisis—as defined by the conjoined endemics of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity—continues to surprise biomedical researchers, frustrate health experts, and disable and harm millions of people. This week, three news stories illuminate yet again how the … More The politics behind the metabolic health crisis in the United States

Racial justice, American exceptionalism, and speculative fiction

April 27, 2016

BY ANDRÉ CARRINGTONAssistant professor of English at Drexel University In the 21st century, society has grown to rely on the axiom that “race” is a lie. For some people, out of paranoia or a desire to avoid conflict, touting the knowledge that race is socially constructed is a way of declaring that ignorance about what … More Racial justice, American exceptionalism, and speculative fiction

Shipwreck narratives are central to the Age of Discovery.

February 4, 2016

Shipwreck narratives, writes Steve Mentz, portray humanity caughtbetween divine fiat and the insufficient promise of human agency.The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633.Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons. BY STEVE MENTZSt. John’s University Humans love to tell stories that put humans at the center of things. In these fantasies, the Renaissance celebrates the … More Shipwreck narratives are central to the Age of Discovery.

On global science fiction cinema and environmental catastrophe.

December 15, 2015

The French poster for the 2014 film Snowpiercer. Global science fiction cinemaand its common depiction of post-apocalyptic scenarios is increasingly resonatingwith current world events. BY JENNIFER FEELEY AND SARAH ANN WELLS Last week, Beijing resembled an apocalyptic scene from a science fiction film. Shrouded in thick smog, China’s capital city came to a standstill. For … More On global science fiction cinema and environmental catastrophe.

Remembering the struggles and achievements of Māori filmmaker Barry Barclay.

November 19, 2015

While filming Barclay’s Tangata Whenua television series in 1972, cameramanKeith Hawke has the camera about 10 meters from the people on the porch,leaving them as free as possible from the paraphernalia of filmmaking.Image: Pacific Films. BY ANGELA MOEWAKA BARNESMāori media researcher It has been more than 25 years since the acclaimed Māori filmmaker Barry Barclay’s … More Remembering the struggles and achievements of Māori filmmaker Barry Barclay.