Society & Culture

Farewell, Argos catalogue, the book of dreams that democratised playtime

For many children, dissecting its pages for gifts became its own kind of play activity. Perceptive scholars of a distant future may traverse the Argos catalogue to demystify our world

Anna Cafolla  

August 14, 2020

“I miss the honey lady”: How one resident helped her community to understand what is truly valuable

The loss of a neighbour’s friendship motivated a local group to build a social asset—one that has been a salvation during lockdown

Jagjit S Chadha  

August 14, 2020

The underrated, exhilarating joy of getting your first car

In today's big cities, having a car engenders mild pariah status. Then coronavirus screeched into town

Alexis Self  

July 31, 2020

Coronavirus will transform the way we travel—but will it be for the better?

When historians look back on Britain in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, they may see the era of mass travel abroad as an aberration caused by a combination of an aggressive business model and governments keen to increase…

Barbara Speed  

July 19, 2020

Daylight robbery: How London is losing its fight for light

A complicated scheme involving developers, surveyors, councils and consultants is letting daylight standards slip across the city—and throwing more more residents in the dark

Jessica Brown  

July 17, 2020

Letters and diaries: Meetings of great minds throughout history

Momentous meetings of our times

Ian Irvine  

July 15, 2020

What nature teaches us about change

A lot has been written about the solace of nature during uncertain times. But as I picked my way along the coastal path each day, I began to understand that going outside offered me something else as well: a new…

Cal Flyn  

July 14, 2020

What lockdown taught me about being single

Lockdown experienced with a family, or even just with your significant other, is obviously very different to lockdown with your cat—but there's a romance to a life lived singly

Hephzibah Anderson  

July 13, 2020

How racist is Britain?

The three charts that show the difficulties minorities face in Britain

Tom Clark , Anthony Heath  

July 13, 2020

It’s time to face the facts—our male pop stars need to try a bit harder

Britain is crowded with male singer-songwriters who look like your little brother’s friend that your mum is letting crash for a few weeks because he has “stuff” going on at home

Caroline O'Donoghue  

July 12, 2020

Lockdown has shown a new side of London—and why our restaurants matter more than ever

Even in a huge city, sometimes you don’t need to go searching for anything—the best things are close to home

Jonathan Nunn  

July 11, 2020

Shades of King Creon: The ancient forebears of Trump and Johnson

Our strongman leaders have been behaving like stubborn, intransigent kings in Greek tragedies, crashing blindly up against justice, convinced that they are right and all others are wrong

Charlotte Higgins  

July 10, 2020

Why we should call time on “cancel culture”—and hold on to our friends

I have a friend who thinks crystals will heal you, and another who’d like to bring back corporal punishment. Arguing with views like this isn't just good for you—it's the essence of civilisation

Miranda France  

July 10, 2020

Why education in women’s prisons is not fit for purpose

“Unless something is done, female prison leavers will be ill-equipped to deal with the triple discrimination against their gender, criminal record and lack of formal qualifications”

Sophie Campbell  

June 30, 2020

Why working from home isn't as great as you think

Employer spyware, cramped spaces, and the fast disappearing line between work and life—is it all worth it?

Rik Worth  

June 20, 2020

What it's like having health anxiety during a pandemic

I had to acknowledge that while usually my earlier worries may have been irrational, this time there was a real, present and quite pertinent danger

Helen Whitehouse  

June 16, 2020

The way we were: Virginia Woolf and George Orwell on hot English summers

Extracts from memoirs and diaries

Ian Irvine  

June 10, 2020

Not so soulless after all: In praise of lockdown-era artificial plants

As I hovered over the reviews for “ARTIFICIAL MONSTERA PLANT 60CM,” I felt a slight ickiness. But maybe it's not so bad to have something that can last forever

Caroline O'Donoghue  

June 9, 2020

Celebrity chef culture was getting out of control. Then the pandemic hit

With the crisis shutting down most restaurants, I suspect that many chefs are using this downtime to figure out what cooking is all about

Jonathan Nunn  

June 8, 2020

What would Ovid make of coronavirus?

The idea that human creativity and innovation is in conflict with the natural order of things is a common trope in Greek and Roman literature

Charlotte Higgins  

June 7, 2020