Category: Uncategorized

His words, his story, his magnetism: Capturing the voice of Hy Berman, Minnesota’s beloved public historian

November 1, 2019

BY JAY WEINER Until the work began on what would become Professor Berman: The Last Lecture of Minnesota’s Greatest Public Historian, I didn’t know Hy Berman very well. For nearly 30 years, I was a reporter for the Star Tribune and Hy was a prominent University of Minnesota professor and political pundit. But a search … More His words, his story, his magnetism: Capturing the voice of Hy Berman, Minnesota’s beloved public historian

When to Name Names

October 24, 2019

BY JACK EL-HAI Early in my writing of The Lost Brothers I considered an ethical question: In telling the story of the 68-year-old case of three young brothers who went missing in Minneapolis and have never been seen since, should I reveal the names of suspects who were never charged with a crime? There were … More When to Name Names

Understanding the power behind the prison system

October 16, 2019

BY BRETT STORYAuthor of Prison Land In June, the federal government announced that it will be rescinding funding for a new federal penitentiary in Letcher County, Kentucky, finally putting to rest a project more than fifteen years in the making.  The proposed maximum-security prison was to be built atop a former surface mine, like most … More Understanding the power behind the prison system

Suspects not Citizens: Criminalizing Muslims in the United States

October 2, 2019

BY NICOLE NGUYEN In 2017, James Alex Fields Jr. plowed his silver Dodge Charger into counter-protestors at the “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Fields’ reckless yet intentional actions killed thirty-two-year-old Heather Heyer and injured dozens more. Convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, hate crime acts, and other federal and state … More Suspects not Citizens: Criminalizing Muslims in the United States

Swede Hollow: The surprises and intrigue behind Ola Larsmo’s haunting story of a real place

September 18, 2019

BY OLA LARSMO I guess it was the silence that caught my imagination. It was very deep, in the middle of a bustling city. My wife, Rita, had spent an important year as an exchange student in Minneapolis and wanted to visit old friends. When we first went there in 2006, I knew that I … More Swede Hollow: The surprises and intrigue behind Ola Larsmo’s haunting story of a real place

Learning from youth about competitive school choice policy

September 11, 2019

BY KATE PHILLIPPOLoyola University Chicago’s School of Education It’s hard to miss academic competition these days. In 2019 alone, events abound. Authorities charged public personalities with felony crimes in response to the “Varsity Blues” college admissions cheating scandal. News and social media exploded with debates over the College Board’s experimental inclusion of an “adversity score” … More Learning from youth about competitive school choice policy

Meet Leah Pennywark, our new humanities editor!

August 26, 2019

The University of Minnesota Press is delighted to welcome its new humanities editor, Leah Pennywark, to the fold this month. She was selected from more than one hundred applicants to the position. As editorial director Jason Weidemann stated in our recent press release, “Leah has a deep understanding and appreciation for what we do at … More Meet Leah Pennywark, our new humanities editor!

What’s next for #MeToo? Rethinking the place for gender in politics and society with a look back to eighteenth-century France.

August 26, 2019

NANCY LUXONUniversity of Minnesota Never in history have questions of gender and authority been so acute. One cannot discuss contemporary politics without discussing gender – a remarkable development, given the previous absence of these conversations despite the stubborn persistence of gender inequalities in politics, the workplace, and beyond. In the United States, gender and authority … More What’s next for #MeToo? Rethinking the place for gender in politics and society with a look back to eighteenth-century France.

Standing Rock and the eternal fight for decolonization and freedom across the world.

August 21, 2019

EDITORS’ STATEMENT BY NICK ESTES AND JASKIRAN DHILLON Standing Rock marked a turning point for Indigenous resistance on Turtle Island. And although the camps had been forcefully evicted by police two weeks after Donald Trump took office, the struggle continues. While temperatures rise worldwide and the rightward global authoritarian turn intensifies, there are signs of … More Standing Rock and the eternal fight for decolonization and freedom across the world.

Finding the human and the posthuman in the Anthropocene.

August 14, 2019

Vanessa Daws, #pluralizetheanthropocene STEVE MENTZSt. John’s University A few weeks ago in late July, a tropical rainstorm cascaded onto my home in Connecticut. During high summer in the northeastern United States, violent thunderstorms often roll through after steamy afternoons. But we weren’t prepared for the speed and volume of water that fell in a few … More Finding the human and the posthuman in the Anthropocene.