Culture

The Most Disappointing Thing About Submission Isn’t Islamophobia, But Its Tedious Sexism

Any nuanced discussion about the intersection of cultures in Michel Houellebecq's new book is buried under its tiresome narration

Chris Lehmann

The Neverending Presidency: An Unfettered Look at How Democracy Lost to Mugabe

Camilla Nielsson’s new documentary, Democrats, is a study in how a dictatorship can weather a 'democratic transition'

Michael Atkinson

When the Bank Robs You

Mehrsa Baradaran's How the Other Half Banks tells the history of banks robbing from the poor and giving to the rich--and explains how we can stop it.

David Dayen

How California Birthed the Modern Right Wing

Many of 20th-century conservatism's tricks were honed in 1930s agribusiness's fight against farmworkers

Chris Lehmann

Jeremy Corbyn Is Already Pushing the Labour Party to Fight Inequality and Injustice

Despite a seemingly endless torrent of attacks and gossip, Corbyn is building a real alternative to politics as usual in the UK.

Jane Miller

Why Walking Down a Dark Alley at 2 A.M. Is Not ‘Asking For It’

In a new book, Kate Harding explains why dictums to avoid rape are part of rape culture--and do more to shame us than protect us

Jude Ellison Sady Doyle

The Surefire Formula for Doing Good?

The altruists profiled in Strangers Drowning have made huge personal sacrifices for others. But what should we make of their extremely individualistic approach?

Joanna Scutts

Clint Eastwood: The Good, the Bad and the Reactionary

Patrick McGilligan's unauthorized biography of the film legend, updated through 2015, suffers from bastard fatigue: There are just too many examples of Eastwood's perfidy.

Eileen Jones

In Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan Novels, Women’s Rage Is Both Pardonable and Malevolent

The mysterious, wildly popular Italian novelist excels at crises and contradictions

Jane Miller

‘Welcome to Leith’ Charts A White Supremacist Attempt to Take Over a Tiny North Dakota Town

A new documentary by Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker explores a firefight between American individualism and the public good

Michael Atkinson

Who’s Behind the Smithsonian Museum’s $63 Million Ode to American Capitalism?

Just who you would think.

Chris Lehmann

Why the Youngest Country on Earth Can’t Escape the Yoke of Colonialism

'We Come as Friends' captures the Western exploitation of South Sudan from the moment of its conception

Michael Atkinson

Fall In Love with Your Job, Get Ripped Off by Your Boss

Miya Tokumitsu's sharp new book exposes the "Do what you love" fairy tale for what it really is: a means of exploitation.

Joanna Scutts

How an Anti-Austerity Protest Candidate Became the Frontrunner for Labour’s Leadership

Jeremy Corbyn's left campaign is shaking up UK Labour

Jane Miller

Mr. Robot Is the Anti-Capitalist TV Show We’ve Been Waiting For

By placing class warfare front and center, Mr. Robot makes socialism a vibrant force again in popular culture, its aims urgent and compelling.

Brian Cook

Treacheries At Teatime

On postwar anti-communist surveillance in Britain

Jane Miller

In Flint, Michigan, the Wrecking Ball Has Not Meant Progress

Andrew Highsmith charts the rise and fall of Flint, a city deserted by industry and divided by segregation.

Daniel Hertz

A Quiet Return to the Killing Fields of Indonesia

Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing focused on the perpetrators of genocide; in the sequel, the stage is shared by traumatized survivors.

Michael Atkinson