Purim’s original queen: How studying the Book of Esther as fan fiction can teach us about the roots
Whether thousands of years ago or right now, fans have always created new stories based on familiar characters, weaving…
Whether thousands of years ago or right now, fans have always created new stories based on familiar characters, weaving…
In 1922, Oregon voters approved an initiative to require public school for most students ages 8-16 − but it didn’t hold…
The Therigatha, a collection of poems written in Pāli by Buddhist nuns, reveals that women’s enlightenment may not necessarily…
False ideas about the extinction of the white race, spread around the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gave rise to xenophobic…
The Israel-Hamas war has fueled tensions around military exemptions, but the issue has long roiled Israeli politics.
‘Wabi’ and ‘sabi’ are Japanese words with long histories, but they are rarely used together in the way Western designers…
Assessing a patient’s autonomy can be more difficult when mental illness is the main source of their suffering.
Ramadan encourages acts of charity. This also poses a question for many Muslims as they consider what more could be done…
Alabama’s case began when three couples sued an IVF clinic where their frozen embryos had accidentally been dropped.
The first cherry blossom viewing was organized in Japan by Emperor Saga in 812 C.E. In the ensuing years, poetry on cherry…
Plenty of movies have explicitly religious themes, but some of the most interesting examples of faith or transcendence on…
Historically, many Christians got tattoos around Holy Week − usually a cross − to honor Christ’s martyrdom.
Though only a few of Scorsese’s films focus on religious stories, deeper questions about faith, doubt and living in a…
The iconic image of a witch on a broomstick has apocryphal origins. But whether they could actually fly didn’t stop Christian…
Non-English language cinema – previously seen by niche audiences – is increasingly finding acceptance and recognition,…
Secular Jewish groups have historically made up the majority of solidarity and peace groups. But Palestinian citizens and…
Religion and nationalism were once ideologies at odds. Now, they are increasingly bedfellows, with populism often the glue.
In medieval Japan, healing might mean taking medicine, undergoing an exorcism or sidestepping harm in the first place by…
How the media talks about suffering on one side compared with the other can often reveal bias in the Israeli-Palestinian…
European women’s rights expanded in early medieval cities, though they were still limited. Last wills and testaments were…