Help Us Stay Paywall-Free

We rely on readers to keep our website open to all. Help sustain a public space for collective reasoning and imagination—make a tax-deductible donation today.

1214161510_HDR (1)

Christopher Petrella

Christopher Petrella is a lecturer in American Cultural Studies at Bates College and received his doctorate in African American Studies from U.C. Berkeley. His research and teaching interests include the intellectual history of race, criminalization, and protest. Visit www.christopherfrancispetrella.net for more. Follow him on Twitter @CFPetrella.

Articles

The holiday was legislated as part of a strategy to defang King of his most radical qualities while coopting him into the ideology of colorblindness.
Justin Gomer, Christopher Petrella

The DOJ says it will stop using private prisons. The truth is more complicated.

Christopher Petrella

White supremacy and the birth of the modern Democratic Party.

Christopher Petrella

Forum Responses

In November 2015 Donald Trump was asked on the campaign trail if he would require Muslim U.S. citizens to register with the Department of Homeland Security. “Absolutely,” Trump said, “they have to...
Christopher Petrella

Just in time for the holidays, get any three print issues of Boston Review for just $35 – that’s 40% off the cover price!

Before December 9, mix and match any three issues for one low price using code 3FOR35.

Just in time for the holidays, get any three print issues of Boston Review for just $35 – that’s 40% off the cover price!

Before December 9, mix and match any three issues for one low price using code 3FOR35.

"An indispensable pillar of the public sphere."

That’s what sociologist Alondra Nelson says of Boston Review. Independent and nonprofit, we believe in the power of collective reasoning and imagination to create a more just world.

That’s why there are no paywalls on our website, but we can’t do it without the support of our readers. Please make a tax-deductible donation to help us create a more inclusive and egalitarian public sphere—open to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.