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BooksPolitics & Religion

On the Religious Politics of American Borders

About the book Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders, and the Global United States, by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, published by the University of Chicago Press (2025).

By
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd
17 Min Read
The Christmas Verdict: Europe Alone
The Berlaymont building, headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels : An institutional symbol of a continent confronting the limits of its strategic dependence. Photo by EmDee (CC BY-SA). The Christmas Verdict europe
Political Opinion & Insights
9 Min Read
After Venezuela: Trump Advances on Greenland
In the context of Greenland U.S. conflict, Arctic-capable forces participate in cold-weather training exercises focused on mobility and logistics. Photo by The National Guard (CC BY).
Global North
22 Min Read
Putin’s Ainu Recognition: Is Hokkaido Russia’s Next Target?
Satellite view of Russia’s Far Eastern Pacific frontier, a strategic launch point toward the Kuril Islands and northern Japan (NASA). Ainu.
Global North
15 Min Read
Hokkaido and the Foundations of Japan’s Arctic Influence
Maoka (now Kholmsk), a Japanese port city in Karafuto (southern Sakhalin) during World War II, reflecting Japan’s historical projection of power north of Hokkaido.
Global North
14 Min Read
The Rise, Fall and Re-emergence of Japan as an Arctic Power
Imperial Japanese map of the North Pacific and sub-Arctic regions, depicting Hokkaido, Sakhalin (Karafuto), the Kuril Islands and the western Aleutians. The cartography illustrates Japan’s historical projection as an Arctic power in the High North Pacific prior to 1945.
Global North
15 Min Read
Christian Globalism: Bridging Distant Ties
Christian Globalism: Vintage letters, handwritten notes, and old photographs arranged beside a world map on a wooden desk, evoking historical global correspondence and Christian sponsorship networks.
BooksPolitics & Religion
11 Min Read
Is Harvard’s Judge Truly Impartial?
Statue at Harvard Yard, a recognizable landmark of the university’s historic campus.
Political Opinion
16 Min Read
Secular Sensibilities amidst French and Québécois Politics
Poster Advocating Bodily Autonomy and Solidarity in a secular context. Outremont, Québec, Canada. Photographed on May 20, 2019. Crédit: A Disappearing Act (CC BY-SA).
BooksPolitics & Religion
19 Min Read
Harvard Admissions, Privilege, and the Trump Challenge
Admission: Harvard’s iconic Eliot House tower, a hallmark of the university’s Georgian architecture. Public Domain.
Political Opinion
15 Min Read
Assata Shakur: Violence in the U.S., Silence on Cuba’s Racism
Assata Shakur police mugshot, issued in the 1970s by U.S.
Political Opinion
16 Min Read
Beyond Subzero: A Future of Cheap, Quiet Polar Submarines
A Swedish Gotland-class diesel-electric submarine in front of a U.S. aircraft carrier — a real-world example of stealth, efficiency, and strategic surprise that inspires the proposed “Hickel Class” fleet.
Global North
18 Min Read
Microhistories and the African Past
Microhistories of Africa: Statues at the Slave Market Memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, commemorating the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Photo by Son of Groucho (CC BY).
BooksPolitical History
16 Min Read
Indigenous Power and the Future of Greenland
A coastal settlement in southern Greenland: daily life intertwines subsistence traditions with emerging forms of local development. Photo by Monitotxi (CC BY-SA).
Global North
18 Min Read
Nagasaki: The Atomic Bombing and the Christian Crossroads
Ruins of Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, where the atomic bomb detonated on August 9, 1945, destroying the heart of Japan’s largest Christian community.
Politics & Religion
15 Min Read
Harvard’s Internal Decay: Class, Culture, and Privilege
Harvard Business School building with white columns and red brick façade, surrounded by trees and benches on a quiet green lawn. (Photo credit: Michael A. Herzog, CC BY)
Political Opinion
19 Min Read
Sacred Violence: Military AI in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
sacred violence: Ruins in Gaza after heavy bombardment as military AI reshapes the Israel–Palestine conflict. Photo by Zoriah (CC BY-NC).
Technology
17 Min Read
Trump Battles Harvard Over Elitism and Public Subsidies
Front view of Widener Library at Harvard University. Photo credit: Joseph Williams (CC BY).
Political Opinion
19 Min Read
What are conditions of violence ?
Children waiting behind barbed wire — an image of vulnerability shaped by broader social and political conditions of violence.
BooksPolitical History
15 Min Read
Understanding the Causes of War: Human Nature and History
A stark glimpse into the trenches of World War I, epitomizing the brutal realities of conflict. This image underscores the enduring 'causes of war'—territorial disputes, political rivalries, and the human propensity for domination.
BooksPolitical History
14 Min Read
Trump’s Arctic Gambit: The Battle for Greenland
A coastal village in Greenland, where traditional Inuit life meets growing geopolitical interest and the visible effects of Arctic climate change.
Global North
14 Min Read
Can Robots Love? Ethics at the Boundaries of the Human
An intimate moment between human and machine, questioning the boundaries of love and morality in a world increasingly defined by technology and artificial intelligence.
BooksTechnology
13 Min Read
The Religious Turn in Great Power Politics
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow stand side by side during a public ceremony, exemplifying the strategic use of religious authority to reinforce national identity and geopolitical legitimacy.
BooksPolitics & Religion
10 Min Read
How Obsession with China Warps U.S. Arctic Policy
Gao Feng, China's Special Representative for Arctic Affairs
Global North
16 Min Read
Cuba’s Kleptocracy: How It Operates and Why It Matters
Luxury in the Shadow of a Kleptocracy – Fidel Castro and Che Guevara fishing in 1960, a reminder of the contradictions within Cuba's revolutionary myth.
Political Opinion
22 Min Read
Why NATO’s Arctic Expansion Is Now Backfiring
Royal Marines conduct an Arctic beach assault during NATO’s Cold Response exercise in Harstad, Norway
Global North
16 Min Read
Cinema as Inquiry: On Art, Knowledge, and Justice
Culture & Politics
14 Min Read
Religion in International Politics: Power and Influence
Faith and Power: World Leaders in Prayer – A Moment of Reflection in International Politics. President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, Former President George H. W. Bush, Mrs. Barbara Bush, Former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton, bow their heads during the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
BooksPolitics & Religion
19 Min Read
Our Disintegrating Societies: On What Divides Us
Disintegrating Societies: The Rise of Division and Unrest. As societies fracture under the weight of political polarization, economic disparity, and social unrest, the line between order and resistance blurs. This powerful image captures the escalating tensions between authority and protest, a reflection of the deepening societal divides shaping our world. Are we witnessing the fight for justice or the collapse of civil discourse? As democracy wavers, the question remains: what comes after the unrest?
Insights
11 Min Read
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