The United Nations is the world’s principal international organization, comprising 193 national governments. This blog post provides more information about the UN’s organizational structure and activities and includes an academic exercise to encourage deeper understanding.
Recent research has shown that the human occupation of the Americas took place much earlier than previously thought. As documentation about the first Americans builds and new evidence about their experiences is uncovered, we gain a better understanding of the variety and innovation of early settlers throughout the hemisphere.
Processes of evolution transform every aspect of human life. Households—the human centers of eating, resting, sleeping, and child-rearing—have evolved, too. This essay lists steps that show how the processes of biological, cultural, and social evolution have changed households.
The Contending Voices blog—initially focused on debating today’s social priorities—is shifting toward exploring the principles, problems, and possibilities of the study of world history. By examining these questions, we may gain insights into addressing some of the very serious crises that humans face today.
A collection of news stories from 2021 showcase the diverse and powerful voices that are working to uplift women around the world. Despite this, there remain many individuals, groups, and institutions committed to shouting those voices down.
Capitalism and socialism are contending sets of social priorities that came out of the same social situation: they are the Yin and Yang of industrial society. Both sets of priorities—even when badly out of balance—are essential for society to thrive. Is it possible that “democracy” could create a civil discourse and help to balance Yin and Yang?
Plastic, cardboard, and methane are being produced, used, and thrown away in growing quantities. This threatens to destroy the social fabric of life on Earth—not to mention life itself. For decades, economic growth has been billed as the only path forward: With a booming economy, there will finally be enough to go around for everyone, and social welfare can then be improved. But there is already enough to go around. To improve social welfare, what we need now is to share more of what is currently being produced.
Claims for freedom by Black Lives Matter demonstrators and by MAGA supporters show that there can be clashing meanings of “freedom.” What factors are contributing to this tension? This essay explores the ways in which social and ethnic groups and society’s many institutions complicate the concept of freedom. It points to a basic lesson: Learning and compromises are necessary before we can agree on what it means to be free.
The United States has been an active member of UNESCO for just 10 of the last 40 years. If the U.S. rejoins, it would not just be re-upping its membership in a global organization, it would be rejoining the global community of science and culture.
Popular culture is undoubtedly an arena for debating social priorities. And with the rise of social media, these debates now happen at the global level—often through the exchange of music and other types of art. Sometimes, such debates evolve into deep ideological discussion and can spur worldwide movements for social justice.