The Genealogies of Modernity Journal
Toward a Hopeful Decadence
Douthat begs us to consider the possibilities that we reached for in the past, less out of nostalgia, and more as inspiration: a cry of ‘Why not?’ that can lift us beyond screens, comfort, and deadlock toward a common goal.
Michael J. Nevadomski reviews Ross Douthat’s The Decadent Society.
The Racialization of Crime: A Brief Genealogy
The racialization of crime in the United States can be traced all the way back to the earliest legislation directly addressing race relations: the slave codes.
Miranda Pilipchuk traces a genealogy of racism and sexism in the American judicial system.
Magic and Modernity
Instead of free-thinking Deists, a new generation of physicians argued that the experience of paranormal phenomena indicated a kind of mental or physiological illness.
Richard Yoder looks to early modernity to examine magic, science, and the origins of modernity.
Haunted Modernity: Francis Bacon’s Ghost Ship
We are dealing with a ghost ship, a reminder that the modernity we seek to understand is profoundly haunted.
Christopher Fite asks what a “haunted modernity” means for the history of science.
The Last Days of Business as Usual
Kirsten Hall revisits literary history and compares our current COVID-19 pandemic to pandemics of the past.
The Decline of the Nuclear Family, and the Rise of the Club
Kirsten Hall responds to David Brooks and the decline of the nuclear family.
Teaching with Anachronism
Kirsten Hall addresses problems with pedagogy in today’s classrooms and creates a genealogical syllabus.
Anxious and Angry: Alec Ryrie’s Genealogy of Emotions and Belief
Terence Sweeney reviews Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt.
On Influence
Timothy Barr reflects on popular culture the way stars still influence us—whether Taylor Swift or Sirius.
American Foundings: Two Genealogies of American Racism
Terence Sweeney explores two genealogies of racism: Original Sin or corrupt DNA.
Genealogical Trees and Networks: Insights from Evolutionary Biology
Ryan McDermott explains the evolution of biological genealogies
A Dissenting Voice: Thomas Paine and the Narratives of Industry
Timothy DeCelle explores Thomas Paine’s writings on wealth and poverty
The Shallow Eighteenth Century
Kirsten Hall explains how college survey courses don’t always get history right and finds the delightful oddities of the 18th Century
Big Hair, Tiny Homes
Kirsten Hall compares 18th century hair trends with contemporary minimalist fashion
Rémi Brague's Eccentric Culture, Part 2
Ryan McDermott discusses the evolution of European identity
Rémi Brague's Eccentric Culture, Part 1
Ryan McDermott reflects on the writings of Rémi Brague
