History

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In this clip via Twitter, Ben Shapiro, who is somehow touted as a serious thinker on the Right, alleges that the scientific method is peculiar to something he calls “the West.” He appears to think it consists of Greek empiricism mixed with what he terms a “Judeo-Christian” conviction that to […]

Archaeology

Medieval Crusaders in Levant Married, Recruited Locals, DNA shows

contributors

In the pitt, three were Europeans, four were Near Easterners, and the two had European ancestry but with less West European markers.

Colonialism

How Colonialists Led the Way to our Environmental Crisis of Over-Exploitation

The Conversation

Our understanding of colonialism is often limited to simple ideas about what we think colonialism looked like in the past

Donald Trump

America’s current Racism, Patriarchy and Fear of Immigrants Eerily look like 1919

Arnold R. Isaacs

1919 was the year Confederate General Stonewall Jackson’s statue was erected on a main thoroughfare in Richmond, Virginia

Featured

On the Universalism of Notre Dame, from Muslim Arches to the Goddess of Reason

Juan Cole

It is a world-historical edifice, reflecting the light mysticism of Plato and the pointed arches of Zoroastrian Iran and Abbasid Baghdad

Colonialism

No, Fox’s Katie Pavlich, the US wasn’t the First to Abolish Slavery

Juan Cole

Fox Cable News’ Katie Pavlich asserted Tuesday, “They keep blaming America for slavery, but the truth is that throughout human history slavery has existed. America came along as the first country to end it within 150 years. And we get no credit for that.” Seriously, how utterly and comprehensively brain dead stupid and ignorant do […]

Archaeology

Dear Tucker Carlson: Iraqis Invented Civilization and, like, Literacy when “White Men” were Painting themselves Blue

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Tucker Carlson has been playing David Duke with a northeast accent and bow tie for some years, but in radio interviews with Bubba the Love Sponge from a decade ago released by Media Matters, he gave up the dog whistle for butchering and barbecuing the dog. Mediamatters4america: “Tucker Carlson makes […]

Colonialism

What does the World look like from Somalia? Explaining why Ilhan Omar Scares the Horses in DC

Juan Cole

Racist hierarchies and segregation, crushing wars of conquest, the disruption and displacement of entire regions

Archaeology

For Int’l Women’s Day: An Arabian Woman of Late Antiquity Prays to Goddesses for Peace

Juan Cole

For Int’l Women’s Day, via OCIANA a Safaitic Arabic inscription [c. 1-400 AD], by a wealthy woman calling on two goddesses for peace: “By Shamat daughter of Sar is the mule [owned] and O {Shahqam} —-m—- [and] Allat, [grant] {security} [for] the people of al-Ḍaf.” This inscription from the first centuries after Christ in Arabia […]