List of Culture articles
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Members of the Kanakanavu tribe perform in traditional costumes during a Siraya harvest festival in Taiwan’s Donghua village. The Inconvenient Truth of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples
Tribal groups assert their own claims on a contested island.
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A devotee is seen in profile as she performs a prayer ritual in front of statues of Hindu gods, which are surrounded by candles. The woman, dressed in red, holds an object that has been set on fire while she kneels. Her eyes are closed as she prays. Nepal’s Stolen Gods Seek New Homes
Communities want statues to become a part of living heritage again.
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An illustration of Imelda Marcos holding a parasol as she lounges on the sand, leaning on skulls, as shoes and palm fronts swirl around her. The Fabulous Mythmaking of Imelda Marcos
A new novel claws back history from a family that would otherwise have it disappear.
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A Confucius Institute float during the parade for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2011 in the streets of Indianapolis, Indiana. Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer
Beijing’s censorship has pernicious effects on artists and educational institutions—but abandoning all cultural ties would do more harm than good.
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An illustration shows a figure laying down beneath the pavement, palms facing up, underneath a Russian tan with the word prisposoblenchestvo, referring to conformism, written in Cyrillic letters. Wartime Russians Fall Back on an Ancient Survival Strategy
Conformism and acquiescence have a long tradition in a culture of chaos and repression.
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A Saudi man wearing a white traditional headdress walks past a framed Andy Warhol artwork. Saudi Arabia Really Wants You to Think It’s Cool
The desert kingdom’s rebranding project goes way beyond sportswashing. But it’s all a little too contrived.
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Tourists look up at a giant buddha statue carved into the side of a mountain. China Is Closing In on Itself
The absence of foreigners in the country is a symptom of China’s restrictive, security-driven view of the world.
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People shout into microphones with their arms up. How a Netflix Show Sparked a #MeToo Wave in Taiwan
“Wave Makers” offers a clear porthole into the unique culture of modern Taiwanese politics.
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A collage photo illustration shows examples of soft power around the world including a smoking NAFO shiba inu in a beret and fatigues, a dancing woman from the Bollywood movie "Monsoon Wedding," Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, K-pop band BTS, and a panda. Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return
Leaders are reaching for fellas and films as much as bullets and blockades.
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People attend the ceremony for the installation of commemorative plaques to the victims of Soviet repression on the wall of their former house in central Moscow. How Memory Survives in Putin’s Russia
Russia’s dictator controls its past. But can history that avoids politics live on?
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A mosque stands in front of a cloudy sky. It has two symmetrical minarets and a red banner with yellow writing in two languages. In front of the mosque are cable lines and a video camera on a metal pole. China Is Taking a Wrecking Ball to Famous Mosques
Beijing is choosing repression over religious diplomacy.
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People browse books at a stall at the 34th Tehran International Book Fair at Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran on May 14. Reading ‘Lolita’? Not in Tehran.
Iran’s vibrant tradition of literature translation is becoming collateral damage in the Raisi regime’s retrograde cultural agenda.
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The Hollywood sign in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2005. Hollywood Runs—and Ruins—U.S. Foreign Policy
U.S. films entertain the world—and distort policy at home.
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Margot Robbie as Barbie and Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer stand in front of an apocalyptic pink and orange clouded desert landscape in a photo illustration for the two movies. Barbie wears her iconic black-and-white-striped swimsuit and sunglasses, and Oppenheimer a period hat and suit with cigarette in hand. ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ Have More in Common Than You Think
Both films attempt to atone for the complicated legacies of American icons. Only one succeeds.
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Sculptures known as the “Benin Bronzes” are pictured at the German Foreign Ministry during a ceremony for the signing of an agreement of intent to return them to Nigeria, in Berlin, Germany, on July 1, 2022. The Moral Flaw in the Case Against Returning African Art
The argument that African countries should be disqualified from getting back their stolen artifacts because of past sins is deeply hypocritical.
