Culture

PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.

• By Angela Serratore
• Member Exclusive

Zain Alam, the musician behind Humeysha, layers new sounds over archival audio to test traditional ideas of authenticity.

• By Varun Nayar

A Bangladeshi child lights a candle to mark International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Dhaka on August 8th, 2018.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

A new study finds promoting the philosophy can solidify the belief there are deep-seated, unalterable differences between races.

• By Tom Jacobs

The indie musician talks about his new song cycle about racism—and loving a country that doesn't love you back.

• By Noah Berlatsky

PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.

• By Chinelo Nkechi Ikem
• Member Exclusive

Research shows "hygge," or intentional intimacy, is the driving force behind the Danes' generally positive attitude.

• By Marie Helweg-Larsen

PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.

• By Ian Hurley
• Member Exclusive

We always assumed humans were the only species to create art. It now seems we were wrong.

• By Tom Jacobs

PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.

• By Nicholas Jackson
• Member Exclusive

New research finds we can often identify a song's intended purpose, even when it's a product of a distant culture.

• By Tom Jacobs

Companies can reach into their archives to reaffirm their culture and demonstrate a differentiating legacy.

• By Rick Paulas

The music, film, television, writing, and digital diversions that got our staff through the year.

• By Elena Gooray

The city's cultural and economic revival remains segmented along stark racial and class lines.

• By Tunde Wey

Introducing Pacific Standard's October 2017 issue.

• By Nicholas Jackson

A species of animal is defined as much by its culture as by its genetics. By that criterion, humanity’s status is quite precarious.

• By Steven I. Weiss

From an angry tweet to an actual change.

• By Adrienne Keene

Critics who champion TV's high-quality renaissance elevate the status of niche shows at the expense of those appreciated by "mass," lower-class audiences.

• By Noah Berlatsky

A complicated blend of economics, culture, and infrastructure make it hard to find any right way to restore a city after disaster.

• By Wes Judd

For those accustomed to Western medicine, it may seem crazy to refuse doctor-prescribed medicine. But to truly be a healer, doctors must understand what makes a patient feel well.

• By Johnny Hourmozdi

Music- and art-based outreach programs have been successful in combating extremism in cities like Minneapolis, but they're facing a roadblock. Stringent visa standards from the State Department are blocking many foreign artists from entering the country, and harming communities that need these programs the most.

• By Liana Simonds

Hybrid configurations of masculinity enable young, straight, white men to distance themselves from what they might perceive as something akin to the stigma of privilege.

• By D'Lane Compton & Tristan Bridges

Fear not the machines of the future. We can—and should—use the tools we’ve been developing to be both more critical and more creative.

• By Kyle Chayka

The Korean wave has only picked up momentum since the late 1990s, and its influence is impressive.

• By Sangyoub Park