Sightings Articles

Loss and Continuation: Lessons from the Popol Vuh
An ancient Maya tradition on keeping those we've lost alive
June 10, 2021

America the Imperfect, America the Beautiful
A veteran's reflection on the meaning of Memorial Day
May 31, 2021

Creating a Just Memory of the Pandemic
The importance of community art for processing our collective trauma
April 1, 2021

Monuments, Memorials, and the Resacralization of Space
The landscape of public space shapes collective understandings of the past
February 8, 2021

Kaddish
My father died on the 5th of December, which is also the 27th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. For the past month, I have attended minyan (Jewish prayer services) twice daily in order to say kaddish for him. Traditionally, children recite kaddish fo...
January 7, 2019

To Pray or Not to Pray? Civil Religion and the 9/11 Memorial Service by Rick Elgendy
Last weekend, as the nation marked the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, our collective media gaze focused on lower Manhattan, where the memorial service and dedication led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg had already provoked controversy. Tho...