The context Stone Town Café in the old city of Zanzibar is located in the middle of the most stunning…
Sultan Bargash and Zanzibar’s cosmopolitan modernity
imperialism
Somewhere out there: Corporate utopias of space and sea
In this conversation, Mary-Jane Rubenstein and Jenna Supp-Montgomerie discuss their interests in the NewSpace Race and seasteading, two endeavors that…
Looking imperial universalism in the eye
In his study of the jihad in Bosnia, Darryl Li performs what might be considered a “radical” move of his…
Comparison and classification in American religious history
The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and, even more spectacularly, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 reveal the power of the…
Have it your way: Puerto Rico and the myth of American freedom
Steeped in the Reformation’s emphasis on the individual as an autonomous agent, the Founders displaced God in favor of a…
Comparing China and India
The Modern Spirit of Asia is a book about India and China and the ways in which they have been…
The suspicious revolution: An interview with Talal Asad
Not long after his return from Cairo, where he was doing fieldwork, I spoke with Talal Asad at the City…
America in the Egyptian revolution
I have been in Egypt since February 6, 2011, where I have been witnessing events, talking to friends, activists and…
Sovereignty and sacrifice in American politics
In The Utopian, Yale Law professor Paul W. Kahn argues that the discourse and imaginary of secular political theory fail…
The extra-territorial establishment of religion
There is an embarrassing giddiness in the religious studies world today. With our new mantra in hand—the new “salience” of…