Russell Arben Fox

Russell Arben Fox
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https://inmedias.blogspot.com/
Russell Arben Fox grew up milking cows and baling hay in Spokane Valley, WA, but now lives in Wichita, KS, where he runs the History & Politics and the Honors programs at Friends University, a small Christian liberal arts college. He aspires to write a book about the theory and practice of democracy, community, and environmental sustainability in small to mid-sized cities, like the one he has made his and his family's home; his scribblings pertaining to that and related subjects are collected at the Substack "Wichita and the Mittelpolitan." He also blogs--irregularly and usually at too-great a length--more broadly about politics, philosophy, religion, socialism, bicycling, books, farming, pop music, and whatever else strikes his fancy, at "In Medias Res."

Recent Essays

Urban Questions (and Responses) for Krugman

Over a month ago, Paul Krugman used his space at The New York Times to ask "what, in the modern economy, are small cities...

On Dreher’s Benedict Option, the Christians and Localists Who Can Live It, and the Ones Who Can’t

Rod Dreher and I aren't close friends, but like many Front Porch Regulars, I've been blessed with the opportunity to associate with and learn...

After Trump #2: Getting Populism Right

Coming to grips with what the 2016 election means many things, especially for those of us who are hoping to find in Trump's victory...

After Trump #1: Getting Urbanists and Localists Together

So at the beginning of the month, when I finally got my election reflections out of my system, I concluded by re-iterating what I...

Elections Reflections, 2016 (Part 2)

Yes, I know the election was a month ago. What can I say; I needed time to recover from getting everything entirely wrong, didn't...

Election Reflections, 2016 (Part 1)

With the exception of one big think piece on our almost-certainly-soon-to-be-POTUS, Hillary Clinton, I've been quiet this presidential election. I think that's because, in...

Hillary’s Communitarian Moment, and Ours

Thirteen months ago, I wrote a blog post that provided a retrospective on a body of ideas on the 20th anniversary of the greatest...

At Least His Priorities Are in the Right Place

From The Telegraph: Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, attended a meeting of his local allotment association on Sunday despite the resignation of most of his...

Ten Theses on Our Populist Moment

Tomorrow, with the California Democratic primary, the populist developments that so many have observed in this electoral cycle will definitively change. Either Sanders will...

Regional Cities and the Curse of “Glocality”

One of the essential themes in my continuing study of and reflection upon the character and dilemmas of mid-sized cities is their "regional" character,...

What I’ve Learned, and David Brooks (Perhaps) Still Hasn’t

Among all the major right-wing voices of America's mainstream journalistic establishment, David Brooks is perhaps the most difficult to pin down. Ross Douthat is...

Thoughts on Localism and Resilience

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to the "Resilience Group," an informal gathering of environmentalists, activists, and interested others that meet regularly at...