'Yellowstone' and the battle for Montana's identity

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This Sunday, for the first time in nearly two years, fans of “Yellowstone” will be able to see how John Dutton handles the mounting challenges he faces as governor and steward of the family’s ranch.

For Randi Lynn Tanglen, a fourth-generation Montanan and a Western studies scholar at the University of North Dakota, “Yellowstone” is more than fiction. The popular TV series echoes Montana’s ongoing cultural shifts, reflecting the strain between tradition and change, and locals and outsiders, that have long shaped the state’s identity.

As Tanglen explains, these tensions span back to the Civil War, when waves of Confederate troops settled in the then-territory, and continue into the 21st century, with wealthy newcomers upending the state’s politics.

This week, we also liked articles about women who become welders, the “lame-duck” phase of presidential administrations, and limits to artificial intelligence’s potential.

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Nick Lehr

Arts + Culture Editor

During and after the Civil War, thousands of Confederate soldiers resettled in the Big Sky State. Donovan Reese/Photodisc via Getty Images

‘Yellowstone’ highlights Montana’s long-forgotten connection to the Confederacy

Randi Lynn Tanglen, University of North Dakota

The themes in the hit television series echo the social and political issues that the state has grappled with for decades.

The term ‘lame duck’ has been around for hundreds of years, often referring to a person whose ability to exercise authority is limited for some reason. Planet Flem/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

The election is over − but what is a ‘lame duck’ anyway?

Jordan Cash, Michigan State University

The lame-duck period in the US is longer than in other Western democracies, which tend to make the transition over a period of just days.

AI is powerful technology, but that doesn’t mean we should adopt it unquestioningly. SIphotography/iStock via Getty Images

Is AI dominance inevitable? A technology ethicist says no, actually

Nir Eisikovits, UMass Boston

AI is already widespread and garnering billions of dollars in investment. But that doesn’t mean its ubiquity is predetermined. Society can decide when and how it’s used.

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