Despite its original association with purity, it has become somewhat of a trope to put the humble milk glass in the hands of the ‘bad guy’.
Articles on Symbols
Displaying 1 - 20 of 26 articles
The humble ‘broken image’ icon has a rich backstory – one connected to early web design, camera culture and our timeless urge to find meaning in the landscape.
Do you love using the laughing-crying emoji? If so, you’re probably a Millennial.
From his new name to the title he uses to introduce himself, a pope’s first appearance involves symbolic choices that signal his intentions as leader of the Catholic Church.
Kente cloth reflects Asante beliefs, values and history.
While the origins of the cross as a kiss are still debated, the answer likely lies in the letters of working-class lovers like these.
In the wake of sexual assault allegations, how can the Abbé Pierre Foundation and the Emmaüs organisations move on from the symbolic figure of their founder?
A new film adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’ swaps in an owl for the book’s haunting whip-poor-wills, showing how species loss is also tied into cultural loss.
On Flag Day, a historian of religions in America explains how the Pledge of Allegiance, which honors the American flag, is part of American civil religion.
The UK lacks a comprehensive system for recording hateful graffiti and imagery, something which researchers argue must change.
The fate of several colonial statues in Africa continues to be a subject of controversy.
Through the power of rituals, inanimate objects can be understood to transform into agents who can see, hear, taste and respond to the concerns of those who worship them.
Queensland is the latest state bring in laws banning neo-Nazi and far-right symbols, but no one knows yet precisely what will be banned. Here’s how the laws differ across the country.
Humans have been making symbols for numbers for thousands of years. Different cultures developed their own symbols, but all use addition and multiplication, suggesting arithmetic is a universal truth.
Hand gestures are notoriously prone to misinterpretation.
The letter Z has become a controversial pro-Russian symbol during the war in Ukraine.
In several other parts of the world, people used the bones of animals that were important within their respective cultures to make tools.
Flies have long held symbolic meaning in the history of art. In portraits made in Renaissance Europe, the presence of a fly symbolizes the transience of human life.
Far from alarmist, images of the coronavirus seem to communicate patience and trust in science – both of which will be needed in the coming weeks and months.
Negro Matapacos became famous in Chile in 2011 for joining student protests. His image has now popped up around the world.
Top contributors
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Professor of German Studies / Chair, Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies / Director, Waterloo Centre for German Studies, University of Waterloo
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Associate Professor, Centre for Social Studies
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Associate Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature, University of California, San Diego
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Associate Teaching Professor Religious Studies, University of Tennessee
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Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Monash University
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Professor of Africana Studies and Art & Design, University of Delaware
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Associate professor, University of Johannesburg
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Professor of Quantum Physics and Australian Research Council Future Fellow, RMIT University
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Professor of Psychology, University of Canterbury
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Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University
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Assistant Professor in Media and Communication Studies, Lund University
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Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, The Open University
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Associate Professor, Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy, Swansea University
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Visiting Research Fellow + Professor of Legal Writing, Lund University
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Adjunct Professor of Professional Writing, Regis College, Regis College