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Harry Potter"> The Magical Mundane: Work, Technology and Consumerism in the World of <em

The Magical Mundane: Work, Technology and Consumerism in the World of <em

Harry Potter">The Magical Mundane: Work, Technology and Consumerism in the World of Harry Potter

Keridiana Chez Explores the Role of Magic as Instant Gratification and Automation in the Potter-Verse

By Keridiana Chez | June 26, 2025

Why Donald Trump and JD Vance Can’t Stop Talking About Dolls

Why Donald Trump and JD Vance Can’t Stop Talking About Dolls

Alissa Quart on the Social Class Kitsch Behind One of the Weirder Moments in Recent Politics

By Alissa Quart | May 12, 2025

A Golden Land? Questioning Frontiers, Fantasies and Fulfillment in the Pacific Northwest

A Golden Land? Questioning Frontiers, Fantasies and Fulfillment in the Pacific Northwest

Rachel Greenley Considers Our Illusions of Progress and Productivity While Exploring the Ruins of the Umatilla Chemical Depot

By Rachel Greenley | October 28, 2024

’Tis the Season: What 80s Mall Movies Tell Us About an Enduring Site of American Tension

’Tis the Season: What 80s Mall Movies Tell Us About an Enduring Site of American Tension

Sara Bernstein Surveys a Beloved Oeuvre

By Sara Tatyana Bernstein | December 2, 2022

A Brief History of Mass-Manufactured Clothing

A Brief History of Mass-Manufactured Clothing

Sofi Thanhauser on the Early Days of Ready-to-Wear

By Sofi Thanhauser | January 27, 2022

Nomadland"> Finding Freedom from the Chokehold of Modern Capitalism in <em

Finding Freedom from the Chokehold of Modern Capitalism in <em

Nomadland">Finding Freedom from the Chokehold of Modern Capitalism in Nomadland

Sara Zarr on the Allure of a Minimalist Life

By Sara Zarr | October 15, 2021

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

J. B. MacKinnon: It’s Time to Stop Shopping

By Keen On | June 2, 2021

On Receiving an Anonymous SOS Letter From China About Religious Persecution

By Amelia Pang | February 8, 2021

The Long Golden Age of Useless, American Crap

By Wendy A. Woloson | September 21, 2020

Do We Have Victorians to Thank for Consumerism?

Do We Have Victorians to Thank for Consumerism?

Jennifer Howard on How We Came to Strive for Material Excess

By Jennifer Howard | September 2, 2020

Zombies, Pigs, Zombie Pigs, Capitalism, and You

Zombies, Pigs, Zombie Pigs, Capitalism, and You

and Exploiting It">Brad Bolman on the Difference Between Recycling Waste
and Exploiting It

By Brad Bolman | August 10, 2020

Braiding Identity Through Time"> Annie Ernaux’s Object Lessons: <br

Annie Ernaux’s Object Lessons: <br

Braiding Identity Through Time">

Braiding Identity Through Time">Annie Ernaux’s Object Lessons:
Braiding Identity Through Time

The Years">Mary Hawthorne on The Years

By Mary Hawthorne | May 6, 2020

A Brief History of the Acceptable High School T-Shirts of the Late 1980s

A Brief History of the Acceptable High School T-Shirts of the Late 1980s

Susan McCarty on the Exploitation of Conspicuous Consumer Desire

By Susan McCarty | March 30, 2020

Killer Dresses"> On Bad Bosses and <br

On Bad Bosses and <br

Killer Dresses">

Killer Dresses">On Bad Bosses and
Killer Dresses

In Fabric">The Material Horror of Peter Strickland's In Fabric

By Elizabeth Horkley | January 28, 2020

On Contemporary Minimalism's Maximal Lies

On Contemporary Minimalism's Maximal Lies

Andru Okun Reads Kyle Chayka, Jenny Odell, and Oli Mould

By Andru Okun | January 17, 2020

The Car Culture That's Helping Destroy the Planet Was By No Means Inevitable

The Car Culture That's Helping Destroy the Planet Was By No Means Inevitable

On the Relentless Campaign to Force Americans to Accept the Automobile

By Jeff Sparrow | November 27, 2019