A border between countries can symbolize a separation between cultures, but residents of the world’s largest urban border region get to enjoy the best that both nations have to offer.
Tag Archives: Culture & Society
First Days: The first Hmong American judge didn’t always acknowledge his roots
In this audio clip, Paul Lo, the first Hmong American judge in the country, recalls his first days in the United States. Listen to Lo talk about his experience growing up as an immigrant from Laos.
Muckrakers: Journalists of Progressive Era Expose Corruption
Muckrakers exposed corruption and injustices in ways that forced society to examine and confront these issues. We owe many social reforms to the efforts of these brave people.
See what U.S. bills would look like with all women on them
With the help of augmented reality and an app, important women in history can now appear on any dollar bill. Read the article to learn more.
Do We Code-Switch Our Laughter?
Code-switching, a means for assimilation, is at the forefront of a larger discussion about race and culture. Laughter, it seems, may be one of the traits people change to fit into the larger scheme of society.
Impossible foods: how startups are changing what we eat – in pictures
Read about companies trying to make food sustainable for us and our environment.
Can these descendents of enslaved Africans save their unique culture?
The Gullah Geechee’s culture and way of life is threatened by gentrification and land development. Customs such as fishing and basket weaving are at risk of being lost.
What Can Bees Teach Us About Gang Warfare?
In Los Angeles, an anthropologist is using equations to teach police about how street gangs operate.
The Complicated Psychology of Revenge
Revenge is sweet, the saying goes. But in fact, research shows that seeking revenge is likely only to make things worse.
What makes a hero? – Matthew Winkler
What do you have in common with heroes in literature, movies, and television? It may be more than you think. Watch this short video to learn about the the hero’s journey myth.
Do Women Take as Many Risks as Men?
Author Doug Sundheim was surprised when he realized his book, Taking Smart Risks, included far fewer stories about women. In this article he investigates how that happened.
Where’s Bobbi Fischer?
Writer Hana Schank analyzes the lack of women who play chess and argues that it’s important for females to participate in male-dominated fields.
Tightness and Looseness: A New Way to Understand Differences across the 50 United States
The cultural differences between regions in the United States are as pronounced as the geographical ones. But how can we explain and describe the differences in attitudes, customs, and behaviors between states? This article describes one potential framework.
Are Family Traditions Important?
As our lives become ever fuller with individual commitments and distractions, it’s easy to let go of family traditions that might not seem as pressing. But what might we lose in the long run when we skip out on things that were once important enough to have become traditions?
A dangerous idea offers hope for girls in Afghanistan
We sometimes take our freedoms for granted—for example, the freedom to learn. One Massachusetts woman, Razia Jan, has worked tirelessly to ensure the right to an education for girls in her native Afghanistan.
The ‘maker movement’ creates D.I.Y. revolution
In recent years, increasing amounts of screen time have contributed to a growing sense of disconnection with the physical world—hence, the birth of the “maker movement,” or a return to hands-on creation. Read about how “makerspaces” are attracting people with different interests who all want to create things they can hold on to.
El Dorado Legend Snared Sir Walter Raleigh
Almost half a millennium ago in the New World, Spanish explorers heard tales of a land filled with gold and treasure. Soon, the myth of El Dorado was born. Read this article to learn the truth behind the myth. Did El Dorado really exist?
1969 Alcatraz Takeover “changed the whole course of history”
In 1969, a few young Native Americans occupied Alcatraz Island to protest the United States government’s poor treatment of all Native Americans. Read about what happened as a result of this daring decision.
Why Bilinguals Are Smarter
Most people would agree that learning another language has benefits. But this article highlights why people who are bilingual are more cognitively advantaged than those who speak just one language.
Solving a Civil War Photograph Mystery
Even before computers made it easy, people have tampered with photographs. On this web site, you can examine an image from the Civil War and learn how experts determined it was fake.