The Latest
Cooperation without Domination
To escape the imperial legacies of the IMF and World Bank, we need a radical new vision for global economic governance.
Up from Federalism
In the United States, the division of power between state and national government hurts democracy rather than helps it.
When I Stutter My Name
loving mother, come watch me be patient, / watch how i describe things that never leave my mouth
Remembering Richard J. Bernstein
The wide-ranging philosopher had the uncanny ability to bring very different traditions into conversation.
Her Face in the Darkness
“Closing her eyes, she pictured Abbie in the funeral home.” Grieving the death of her best friend, a young woman travels to Singapore to stay with an aunt she barely knows.
Two poems by Willie Lee Kinard III
Selected by Sonia Sanchez as a finalist for the 2021 Boston Review Annual Poetry Contest
Why Does the State Care About Your Gender?
The patchwork of government regulations around sex and gender causes endless misery for transgender people.
In Defense of Transnormativity
A new book offers a compelling, if imperfect, account of the bad feelings with which trans people often struggle.
The Animal Crisis Is a Human Crisis
The systems that harm animals go hand in hand with systems that harm humans. Combating them requires inter-species solidarity.
What We Own This City Gets Wrong about Policing
Its illegitimacy goes far beyond the war on drugs.
The Healing Song
“Never do unto me what your uncle has done to us.” A family member’s disappearance leads to personal revelations.
Make Progressive Politics Constitutional Again
We must reject the legal liberalism that attempts to cordon off constitutional questions from democratic politics.
Radicalizing Human Rights
Critics say human rights discourse blunts social transformation. It doesn’t have to.
Warm Juice
“My mother has not slept for seven days.” A Taiwanese woman’s brother avoids calling their mother, setting off an insomniac unraveling.
Labor’s Militant Minority
How a new class of “salts”—radicals who take jobs to help unionization—is boosting the organizing efforts of long-term workers.
Law for Black Radical Liberation
The language of universal rights can be a powerful tool for advancing social justice.
Three poems by Lolita Stewart-White
Selected by Sonia Sanchez as a finalist for the 2021 Boston Review Annual Poetry Contest
Recovery
“‘No,’ Miho said, shaking her head. ‘I don’t want to share.’” Private tragedy forces a New York woman into attending group addiction therapy sessions.
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