Borderlands

North Sentinel Island and the Right to Be Left Alone
One political anthropologist considers whether a "no-contact" approach to remote Indigenous peoples may—in the long run—lead to unforeseen risks.
Where a River of Life Became a Border of Control
With more than 2 million people, the sister cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez make up the second largest binational urban center on the U.S.-Mexico border. Here, the border is far more than a line on a map.
What Really Happened on Easter Island?
The story we’ve all been told about the demise of Easter Island’s culture is flat-out wrong. Here’s why.
Locking Up Families Is Inhumane—and Unconstitutional
The United States is imprisoning more and more asylum-seekers from Central America—including mothers and children—in detention centers, perpetuating a culture of fear and hatred toward immigrants.
Gold Glimmers in the Amazon
Daily life in the remote gold-mining camps of the Amazonian rainforest is difficult, dirty, and sometimes treacherous. But that’s only part of the story.
The Birth Whisperers of Timor-Leste
In a country with one of Southeast Asia’s worst infant mortality rates, one clinic is striving to bring improved birthing assistance to local women.

North Sentinel Island and the Right to Be Left Alone