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Democracy Without Ballots
What might democracy mean in Africa? What, in particular, “might it mean in cultural contexts, like those…
Policulturalism
Jean and John Comaroff offer what they recognize is “a rather stark inventory” of the symptoms of…
Ethnicity, Inc
Identity politics has weakened national identity, but it hasn’t destroyed it. As Jean and John Comaroff put…
State and Not-State
In a 1991 essay in the American Political Science Review, Timothy Mitchell assesses various theories of the…
Nationalism and Reformation
Anthony Marx’s Faith in Nation tells the story of the “exclusionary” basis for modern nationalism. Nations were…
Silence of the Eyes
Robert Cardinal Sarah (Power of Silence) notes that “For some years there has been a constant onslaught…
Malick’s Hollywood
Terrence Malick has been on a filmmaking tear, most recently releasing Song to Song. He’s back, but…
African Selves
Is the autonomous self a European invention? Jean and John Comaroff address this question in their Theory…
Sacraments of Vindication
The prophet Joel famously describes a locust plague. His is the locustest book of the Bible. Locusts…
Samskara
According to Ferdinand Kittel’s 1894 Kannada-English Dictionary, the word “samskara” means “forming well or thoroughly, making perfect…
Craftsmen to Artists
Karol Berger (A Theory of Art) states the common observation that “autonomy is widely seen today, especially…
How the Reformation Failed
The Reformers did not start out with a plan to establish separated churches. Their goal was to…
Conservatism’s New Terms
On this episode of the First Things Podcast: Editor Rusty Reno talks to associate editor Julia Yost…
Bad News of Resurrection
We say Jesus’ resurrection is good news. It wasn’t good news for the disciples on the first…
From Mockery to Repentance
Christian often focus on the intense physical suffering Jesus endured on the cross. During crucifixion, a victim’s…
