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peopleFrom individual experience to emergent identities, we measure the pulse of life and change, from the ground up. This theme is a place for memorable, exemplary, innovative and intriguing individuals.
A neglected radical who sought to extend liberty and enlarge life is our contemporary
John Matshikiza, a South African voice of reality, has died. In tribute we publish a sharp 2003 column
The "poisoned umbrella" murder on 11 September 1978 silenced a brave voice and still flouts justice
The prophetic message of Alexander Solzhenitsyn transcends the circumstances that gave rise to it
Plus: Memorial's tribute, Evgeny Morozov's cyber-war, and the Harvard address
The true project of the great Russian writer was spiritual rather than political
The passing of a great filmmaker of Alexandria and Egypt casts light on his country’s journey
He led South Africa beyond apartheid. He
remains a global hero. But what of the
revisionist case?
The work of Chinese immigrants in the rich west puts them in a trap with many locked doors
Vietnam’s official memory has no place for Hoang Minh Chinh, an honourable critic who embraced democracy
A unique publisher fired by learning, enthusiasm and commitment to authors is remembered
A tribute to a militant of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who fought against fascism in Spain's civil war
The social anthropologist born on 21 September 1927 is still a luminous influence
US policymakers must address the humanitarian tragedy of millions of displaced Iraqis
The UN special representative for Iraq was killed on 19 August 2003. His ideas live on (archive)
A stream of asylum-seekers fleeing conflict in Sudan presents Israelis with tough questions
A grizzly Vietnam vet, motorcycle hound and great survivor shares his electric miracle on the road to New Orleans
The late American philosopher championed democratic dialogue in an era of global diversity.
The American philosopher's exclusionary form of argument was grounded in denial of the idea of truth
Kurt Vonnegut worked through despair to infect a generation of Americans with humanity, says Christopher Bigsby. Read the rest of this post...
The distinctive quality of Scotland's educational philosophy was defined by George Davie (1912-2007) as the "democratic intellect". The idea has helped form the country's search for autonomy, says his former student Christopher Harvie. Read the rest of this post...
Who are the most important figures in today’s China? Which names should you know? Kerry Brown introduces the first Chatham House / openDemocracy China power list, and ranks the leading fifty names. Read the rest of this post...
As a writer Susan Sontag located herself behind her subject. After her death it is her personality that is memorialised. Angela McRobbie deciphers this use of a great intellectual's legacy. Read the rest of this post...
The Rabat gathering’s "plan of action" to control migration flows from south to north is based on a faulty diagnosis and will not succeed even in its own terms, says Gregor Noll. Read the rest of this post...
In the United States and Europe alike, immigration policy isn't working – and the failure is most evident at the crossing-points of the rich and poor worlds, from the Mexican border to the Canary Islands, says Saskia Sassen. Read the rest of this post...
France's foremost political thinker was also her most misunderstood, says Henri Astier. Read the rest of this post...
Jane Jacobs's book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" changed the way people thought about urban planning, the street and the character of cities. Roger Scruton reflects on the relevance of its message today. Read the rest of this post...
Whatever methods the United States uses to control or manage the flow of people from Mexico, immigrants will find a way to enter and make their lives anew, says Hank Heifetz. Read the rest of this post...
Kirsty Hughes returns to her homeland after almost a year in south Asia and sees a different country. Read the rest of this post...
Asylum-seekers from Uganda, after horrific experiences in their own country, endure detention, ill-treatment and deportation once they reach Britain, reports Jason Parkinson. He tells the story of Harriet, a Ugandan woman incarcerated at Yarl’s Wood detention centre north of London. Read the rest of this post...
Martin Baldwin-Edwards, an expert advisor for the Global Commission on International Migration, defends its report from Gregory A Maniatis’s critique. Read the rest of this post...
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