National

Gallery: Boston Marathon Aftermath

All photographs in this gallery are courtesy of Delia Harrington.

Give Me Liberty: The Constitution in an Age of Terror

Benjamin Franklin has long warned Americans that “any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” His warning has been invoked throughout American history, as it has been in light of recent events. Yet it seems decidedly powerless in a country that so readily […]

Gallery: Philip Kravtsov’s Images of Watertown

Philip Kravtsov is a freshman journalism student at Northeastern where he is pursuing a B.A. in journalism. Philip is an editor at RIA Novosti. All photos in this gallery © RIA Novosti /Philip Kravtsov

Precarious Life-Katie Dillon

When your city is terrorized, how do you react? Judith Butler says that we ought not to react to violence with violence. We should take a different approach.  Butler does not suggest that we ignore the perpetrator, or let him or her walk free. Instead, we ought to give the criminal a trial, and not […]

Precarious Life-Brendan Hill

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, the relevance of Judith Butler’s A Precarious Life is a topic worth discussing. Prompted by the attacks of 9/11, Butler’s critique of the US response to fear and mourning is indeed contrary to the average American sentiment. While the official response to the attack on the World […]

Precarious Life-Wendy Chu

I wrote the outline for this essay on Monday, April 15th.  It had been an especially good day: I had even won myself a coveted window seat on the third floor at Snell Library. I was reading Judith Butler’s Precarious Life when I heard the news. I should have panicked. I should have been terrified. […]

Muslim American Women and the Hijab: Dismantling the Patronizing Narrative

The role of the hijab and its significance to the women who wear it is frequently oversimplified.  Muslim American women must navigate multiple levels of pressures, social sanctions, and conflicting ideologies when they choose whether or not to veil. This article seeks to organize the various social dimensions of hijab into three spheres: the general […]

Next Stop Taxachusetts: Finding Funds for a 21st Century Transportation System

“In light of the significant financial challenges the MBTA is currently facing, specifically its tremendous debt burden, the precipitous decline in the receipt of projected and dedicated revenues since the inception of Forward Funding, and perhaps most importantly the inability to finance billions of dollars worth of critical state of good repair projects, the MBTA’s […]

House Forces Dreamers to Wake Up: A Legislative History of the Dream Act

Opportunity is often synonymous with the ‘American dream,’ but for one group of young dreamers it is embodied in the form of a tangible document on Capitol Hill. Comprehensive immigration reform is an elusive prospect, but one that is seemingly picking up momentum after the 2012 Presidential race forced Republicans to face the growing influence […]

Bike Sharing the Benefits: An Evolution of Municipal Bike Sharing Programs

The winter cityscape of Boston is peppered with snow banks and heavy coats. The Hubway stations you see popping up overnight are a sure indicator that warmer weather is on the way. About to start its third season of operation, Hubway launched in the summer of 2011 as Boston’s first bike sharing program. Hubway may […]