The Easter Bunny typically evokes memories of fun and colorfully painted eggs, but this mythical rabbit has prehistoric origins and is a longstanding cultural symbol that keeps returning each spring.
USC Dornsife creative writing PhD candidate Jean Chen Ho talks to Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen about her acclaimed first book, Fiona and Jane, and how her research into a violent event in L.A. history illuminates today’s spike in anti-Asian racism.
The Irish government recently declared a national holiday for this lesser-known Irish saint. A USC Dornsife scholar and medieval historian explains her fascinating life and history.
The college’s Department of English, with the support of the Subir and Malina Chowdhury Foundation and in collaboration with Kenyon College and the Kenyon Review, will award the $20,000 prize during a gala at USC in April.
Ring in the New Year with these USC scholar-recommended reads that promise a little self-transformation.
A scholar of Christian spirituality argues that prayers are meant to bring together a faith community — something apps aren’t likely to achieve.
In the settlement of Jamestown, a more typical incident of distrust, displacement and repression can tell more about the colonial era than the Pilgrims’ experience.
The Catholic Church has set in place rigorous criteria for determing if a person can be named “Saint,” including performance of a miracle. But how does the Church determine what is a miracle?
Redemption. Romance. Body horror. USC scholars explore these concepts and other reasons why the medieval author and his master work resonate with modern readers.
Jessica Marglin, associate professor of religion and history at USC Dornsife, provides insight into an oft-misunderstood aspect of Muslim culture.
A USC professor of classics thinks they’d find it absurd: The ancient Olympics were never solely about the athletes, but about an experience shared by all who attended.
The games that begin July 23 in Tokyo will be quite different from their ancient counterparts.
Emmy Esquerre links “queer phobia” in today’s Black communities to political and religious systems put in place by European colonizers and missionaries in Africa and South America.
Graduating senior Kimberly Melgoza researches how mind-altering substances have been used in rituals across Latin America. She’ll bring her studies to Yale Divinity School this fall.
USC faculty members and 40 other experts from diverse fields produce a report on the triumphant and tragic moments in L.A.’s history.
Puritans chopping down a festive Maypole in 1629 was a harbinger of future destruction, a USC historian notes.
USC Dornsife’s Thomas Ward of anthropology covers Vodou, witchcraft and shamanism, while focusing on “white magic” used for holistic healing.
The tradition of Christian dance did not happen overnight. For the first five centuries of Christianity, the church opposed dancing. But as time went on dance continued to be integrated into Christianity.
Betty Grebenschikoff and Ana María Wahrenberg hadn’t seen each other since their families fled Berlin. More than 80 years later, astute work by a foundation indexer brought them back together.
USC experts discuss how COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the Black community connects to a long history of upending Black families in America, from slavery to incarceration.
Just in time for Black History Month, you’ll find thousands of primary documents — including letters and photos — available with a few keystrokes and the click of a mouse.
Mexico played an important role in helping escaped slaves find freedom — and in shaping the U.S. Civil War, argues USC Dornsife’s Alice Baumgartner.
USC experts weigh in on the Black family, which has been “reverenced, stereotyped and vilified from the days of slavery to our own time,” according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
USC English professors reflect on the books that soothed and uplifted them during a tumultuous year.