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Ira Wells

Ira Wells teaches literature and cultural criticism at the University of Toronto. His work has appeared in The New Republic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Puritan, and elsewhere.
Members of the far-right group the Proud Boys gather in E street northwest before marching into Freedom Plaza, in Washington, DC
Politics

Labelling the Proud Boys Terrorists May Do More Harm than Good

February 24, 2021February 26, 2021 - by Ira Wells

The decision may feel like justice, but expanding the designation could have unintended consequences

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Photo of Steve Bannon holding a microphone.
Politics

The Night Steve Bannon Came to Toronto

November 5, 2018November 14, 2019 - by Ira Wells

His Munk Debate with David Frum filled an auditorium with sound and fury, but was anyone listening?

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Kathleen Wynne stands
Politics

The Unpopularity of Female Politicians Has Everything to Do With Sexism

June 5, 2018March 5, 2020 - by Ira Wells

Why voters love to hate leaders like Kathleen Wynne

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Illustration of Brian Mulroney
Politics

The New Life of Brian Mulroney

April 19, 2018March 27, 2020 - by Ira Wells

A new biography reassesses the legacy—and tracks the comeback—of our eighteenth prime minister

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portrait of jordan peterson
Society

The Professor of Piffle

November 27, 2017December 17, 2019 - by Ira Wells

The dangerous underside of Jordan Peterson’s crusade against the humanities

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Illustration by Franziska Barczyk
Politics

Punching Nazis Won’t End Fascism

October 17, 2017April 3, 2020 - by Ira Wells

Antifa argues that violence is necessary, but a rigorous democracy is a far stronger weapon

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Courtesy of the Province of British Columbia
Arts & Culture

Why Canada’s New Cultural Policy Will Be Terrible for the Arts

October 3, 2017April 3, 2020 - by Ira Wells

Turning artists into tech entrepreneurs is a triumph of Silicon Valley values

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Photo by Lauren Southern
Media

The Unwitting Role of Canadian Media in Marketing Hatred

August 14, 2017April 5, 2020 - by Ira Wells

What responsibility do mainstream journalists have when reporting on the antics and ideas of far-right provocateurs?

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World

Omar Khadr and Canada’s War on Terror

July 19, 2017April 5, 2020 - by Ira Wells

As Trudeau’s Liberals consider sending troops back to Afghanistan, we need to consider whether the use of “hard power” has made Canadians any safer

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The Walrus/Andy Miah/Gage Skidmore
Politics

Socialism Is Back. Is the NDP Listening?

June 22, 2017April 5, 2020 - by Ira Wells

Instead of fighting for the scraps of the political centre, the left can score a victory by returning to its principles

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Our Latest Issue

Cover of the Mar/Apr issue of The Walrus magazine. Mar/Apr 2021

Double issue: declaring your data at the border, the Group of Seven 100 years later, an Indigenous-led camp for unhoused people in Edmonton, death in the age of Facebook, and quitting America for good.

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