Editors' Introduction

Observing rather than drawing conclusions about the moment, in this introduction the editors discuss dynamics that contextualize a collection of cultural productions—news, music, state communication, group chats on encrypted messaging apps, Wikipedia pages, experiences in crowds, and art—that we center around the winter of 2025–2026 in the US cities Minneapolis/St. Paul, in the state of Minnesota. This work, a kind of cultural studies in practice, is informed by our positionalities and experiences, in a range that includes on-the-ground actions and national reflections. This issue features three articles, an interview, and the new work in the Years section.