popular culture

When Claudia Rankine was asked by The Guardian why she decided to give the title Citizen to her powerful 2015 prose poem exploring racism in all of its incarnations , she answered this way: I called…

In June of 1984, the Indian Army, under direct orders from then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, invaded the Golden Temple complex. The attack was well-planned as it came during the martyrdom anniversary…

In a key scene of Hulu’s new mini-series Mrs. America , an unexpected cadre of organized housewives arrive at the Illinois state legislature before a crucial Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratification…

What the hell did I just see? Not in a good way. No. Seriously: what the hell did I just see? The short version of my reaction to My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell pimping his journey “from crack addict to…

Honestly, we blame ourselves. We should have known that releasing an episode of Keeping It 101 (A Killjoy ’s Introduction to Religion Podcast) about religion and RuPaul this past Wednesday meant we…

Readers will know that we at Religion Dispatches hold no special brief for faith or no faith, or any particular brand of religion. We have invested many years and much of ourselves, dear God so much…

Fundamentalist Christian support for President Trump is a commonly known, if poorly understood, political dynamic in the United States today. That support sometimes takes surprising shape to outsiders…

Historically amongst the revelers at Venice’s celebrated Mardi Gras Carnival, are those costumed in the distinctive beaked mask of the Medico della Peste—the plague doctor. Wearing black robes and…

Monday morning, the 24th of February, tens of thousands of fans are set to gather at LA’s Staples Center to mourn the passing of all-time NBA great Kobe Bryant who, along with his daughter Gianna…

This week has not been a very good one for the arts. Or history. The very same week President Trump announced that he was, once again, trying to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the…