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Society

Essays and videos on social issues, history, political life and the future

Animals and humans Anthropology Archaeology Automation and robotics Cities Demography and migration Economic history Economics Education Environmental history Fairness and equality Future of technology Gender Global history History History of technology Human rights and justice Information and communication Making Nations and empires Politics and government Poverty and development Progress and modernity Public health Race and ethnicity Religion The ancient world The environment The future War and peace Work

Latest Popular

Photo of a close-up saltmarsh sparrow’s head against a blue sky and grassy landscape background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

Racing rising tides, volunteers work to save a bird on the brink

25 minutes

Photo of two women seated indoors, one using a phone the other reading a newspaper, with plants and wooden furniture.

videoHome

Can young and old coexist at a feminist co-living residence?

21 minutes

A shirtless man with multiple ears growing out of his body in strange places, in a dimly lit room.

essayFilm and visual culture

Power and flesh

As struggles over the human body escalate, we should return to the work of cinema’s greatest anatomist: David Cronenberg

Travis Alexander

Medieval illustration of a map, depicting ornate ships, islands and sea creatures on a stylised ocean.

essayGlobal history

The world without hegemony

As Pax Americana ends, a multipolar order is emerging. The history of Southeast Asia holds lessons for what’s to come

Manjeet S Pardesi & Amitav Acharya

Ancient codex illustration with figures and symbols in red and black ink on a weathered surface.

videoHistory of technology

The Americas’ oldest book is an intricate work of Maya astronomy

9 minutes

Painting of a green and pink landscape with a prominent flat-topped mountain and a cloudy sky in the background.

essayArt

My private mountain

Through her paintings, Georgia O’Keeffe laid claim to New Mexico’s desert landscape. But it was never hers for the taking

Alanna Offield

Photo of an ancient marble altar with intricate carvings and steps, showcasing classical architectural details and patterns.

essayThe ancient world

An emperor for all seasons

The magnificent Altar of Peace celebrates the imperial order of Augustus’ Rome and his place in the fabric of the cosmos

John Weeds

Photo of a hand holding an ornate tarot card with a decorative illustration, two other cards on a black surface in the background.

videoDesign and fashion

Beyond fortune-telling – the enduring beauty and allure of tarot

16 minutes

Photo of a construction site with wooden fence, trees and stones inscribed with Hindi text in the foreground.

essayPolitics and government

Dreams of a Maoist India

India’s Maoist guerillas have just surrendered, after decades of waging war on the government from their forest bases

Rahul Pandita

Photo of a musician with curly hair playing acoustic guitar on stage wearing a colourful shirt with audience members in the background.

videoChildhood and adolescence

A project takes teens from war-torn regions to schools in Canada

25 minutes

Black and white photo of children playing in a street against a rough wall with a sign, some moving energetically.

essayChildhood and adolescence

Hidden in plain sight

Jewish children who were ‘hidden’ in Christian families during the Holocaust have much to teach us about memory and trauma

Carolyn Ariella Sofia

Photo of a humpback whale underwater, showing its head and eye against a deep blue background.

videoBiology

What would it mean if we were able to ‘speak’ with whales?

65 minutes

Photo of a vibrant snack bar with colourful signs advertising beer, pizza, sausages and ice cream.

essayProgress and modernity

The explosion of choice

It’s only in recent history that freedom has come to mean having a huge array of choices in life. Did we take a wrong turn?

Sophia Rosenfeld

A person in blue jeans and black jacket resting in an alcove in an old red brick wall.

essaySleep and dreams

What sleep is

It is our biggest blind spot, a bizarre experience that befalls us every day, and can’t be explained by our need for rest

Vladyslav Vyazovskiy

A field of dry grass cluttered with computer company signboards.

essayKnowledge

Holes in the web

Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too

Deepak Varuvel Dennison

Two women sitting in a car, one is wearing glasses and a headscarf, the other has short hair and red sunglasses.

videoGender

In an act of resistance, Elahe forgoes a hijab at a family party

27 minutes

Photo of a man in a colourful patterned shirt lying in water looking upwards with a focused expression.

videoArt

Finding the spirit of Haiti through a tour of its contemporary art

20 minutes

An automotive factory interior with a car body on an overhead conveyor, surrounded by industrial machinery.

essayEconomic history

Towards good globalisation

How do some countries manage to channel foreign capital into economic development while others are just exploited by it?

Guilherme Klein Martins

Photo of ancient stone ruins with large boulders on top surrounded by trees under a blue sky with clouds.

videoHistory

The dry-stacked stones of Zimbabwe are a medieval engineering wonder

7 minutes

Illustration of a person in a wheelchair drawing at a desk, surrounded by swirling dark and light patterns.

essayBiography and memoir

Kabul in my heart

When the Taliban captured my city, thousands fled and the rest were severely repressed. But I’ve stayed – and survived

Maryam Mahjoba & Asad Nariman

A man with a bird tattoo outlined over an older tattoo of SS insignia on his shaved head, in a tattoo parlour with orange walls.

videoTechnology and the self

Inside a tattoo parlour where hateful images are covered for free

11 minutes

A person reading an open book with a blue scarf and hands resting on the pages in a calm setting.

essayPhilosophy of religion

Revolutionary tolerance

In an age of ferocious religious bloodletting, Sebastian Castellio argued that everyone seems like a heretic to someone else

Michael W Bruening

Gold metalwork art piece with an owl motif surrounded by decorative discs on a dark background.

videoWar and peace

The extraordinary craft and fascinating symbolism of a pre-Incan ceremonial shield

3 minutes

A farmer in a hat ploughing a muddy field with a horse in a scenic hilly landscape under cloudy sky.

essayDemography and migration

The world needs peasants

Far from being a relic of the past, peasants are vital to feeding the world. They need to be supported, not marginalised

Maryam Aslany