2019 Poetry & Short Story Contests | Boston Review

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Politics

Gender & Sexuality

Is Pete Buttigieg the Face of Stonewall?

The press has crowned Buttigieg the inheritor of Stonewall’s legacy, but this doesn’t square with what we know of Stonewall activists and the world they hoped to create.

Micki McElya

Politics, Race

“Every Crucifixion Needs a Witness”

William J. Barber II on the the successes of civil disobedience, the failures of electoral campaigns, and why the South holds the key to transformation in this country. 

Toussaint Losier, William J. Barber II

Global Justice

The War on Brazilian Democracy

Since taking office in January, President Jair Bolsonaro has not only become less popular. He has also done perhaps irreparable damage to fundamental democratic institutions.

Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Marcelo K. Silva

Politics

The Anti-Defamation League Is Not What It Seems

Under the guise of fighting hate speech, the ADL has a long history of wielding its moral authority to attack Arabs, blacks, and queers.

Emmaia Gelman

Politics

In Search of an Anti-Fascist Language

As Germans learned after World War II, combatting fascist language is harder than just deleting offending terms. Can we find a creative solution that serves today’s needs?

Yuliya Komska

Politics

Introducing a Special Project from Boston Review

With democracy now subject to sharp challenges, we are rededicating ourselves to it with a project that aims to pave the way for policymakers and citizens to rethink conventional options.

Boston Review

Race

The Mismeasure of Minds

Twenty-five years later, The Bell Curve’s analysis of race and intelligence refuses to die. Reckoning with its legacy may help redirect the conversation in urgently needed ways.

Michael E. Staub

Law & Justice

The Right to Boycott

Since 2014 twenty-seven states have adopted laws that aim to discourage boycotts of Israel. At stake is our First Amendment right to protest state policies.

Radhika Sainath

Science & Nature

The Sins of “Smart” Cities

What happens when we reframe complex social and political issues as technical puzzles? Two new books challenge modern cities' over-reliance on data and technology.

Ruth Miller

Politics

The Most Radical City on the Planet

Jackson has a long history of black resistance—a seeming contradiction in a state better known for its stubborn poverty, violent Confederate fan boys, and deeply entrenched black oppression. 

Makani Themba

Global Justice

The Government Is Targeting Immigration Lawyers, Activists, and Reporters

A leaked Department of Homeland Security database confirms what many suspected: the U.S. government is trying to punish and intimidate people advocating for immigrant rights.

Lauren Carasik

Gender & Sexuality

Gay Liberation Behind the Iron Curtain

A gay golden age in East Germany reveals that Soviet politics were more dynamic than we admit—and that gay rights has less to do with democracy than we tend to assume.

Samuel Clowes Huneke

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