Tag: current affairs

Reparative therapies remain alive and well in some US states—Texas and Oklahoma included.

February 19, 2016

This billboard appeared in Dallas, Texas, in 2015. Despite widespread condemnation,reparative (also known as “ex-gay” or “reorientation”) therapies still exist in some states. BY TOM WAIDZUNASAssistant professor of sociology at Temple University I recently traveled to Texas to talk about my new book The Straight Line: How the Fringe Science of Ex-Gay Therapy Reoriented Sexuality. … More Reparative therapies remain alive and well in some US states—Texas and Oklahoma included.

On Climate Change War Games and "environmentality."

February 11, 2016

The military’s seizure of climate change and other environmental issuesis not as radically new as one might suppose.Image via Creative Commons. BY ROBERT P. MARZECAssociate professor of environmental and postcolonial studies, Purdue University In 1947, George F. Kennan, writing under the pseudonym “Mr. X,” published “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” in Foreign Affairs. The article … More On Climate Change War Games and "environmentality."

Fight for 15 shines spotlight on harsh daily realities for low-wage workers

October 28, 2015

Fast-food workers, university workers, students, janitors, retail workers, and airportworkers rally on April 15, 2015, near the University of Minnesota to demand a $15/hourminimum wage.Image via Wikimedia Commons. BY MARC DOUSSARDRecipient of the 2015 Paul Davidoff Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning for his book Degraded Work The list of cities and state … More Fight for 15 shines spotlight on harsh daily realities for low-wage workers

Hurricane Katrina, ten years later: When the investor class goes marching in

August 28, 2015

A view of flooded New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, September 2005.It’s been ten years since, and yet it left lessons that remain to be learned. BY CEDRIC JOHNSONAssociate professor of African American studies and political sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago It has been ten years since New Orleans was … More Hurricane Katrina, ten years later: When the investor class goes marching in

Defying Borders: Migration in the age of security

August 19, 2015

Global politics both shape and are shaped by borders and the differencesbetween those who have access to crossing them, and those who do not. BY CAWO ABDIAssociate professor of sociology, University of Minnesota Asad, a Somali merchant who runs a corner shop (spaza) in an informal settlement in South Africa, expresses the fear intrinsic in … More Defying Borders: Migration in the age of security

Shared humanity, shared responsibility: The Tribal Law and Order Act at 5

July 29, 2015

BY SARAH DEERProfessor of law at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN On July 29, 2010, Native people (myself included) filled the East Room of the White House to see President Obama sign legislation that has become a game-changer for tribal nations in the United States. This legislation, the Tribal Law and … More Shared humanity, shared responsibility: The Tribal Law and Order Act at 5

Examining America’s rhetoric of postracial progress.

July 24, 2015

Recent events in America including the #BlackLivesMatter movement areforcing white Americans to look at race in a way that’s uncomfortable—but also much more realistic.Image taken in November 2014 of a demonstration in New York City. Credit: Flickr. BY JULIA LEEAssistant professor of English at University of Nevada, Las Vegas According to a recent poll, nearly … More Examining America’s rhetoric of postracial progress.

Grace Lee Boggs on biracialism, social movements, and hope for America

July 8, 2015

Grace Lee Boggs, pictured here in 2012, was born on June 27, 1915, in Providence, Rhode Island. She currently lives in Detroit. On June 27, 2015, Grace Lee Boggs turned 100 years old. Boggs is a Chinese-American writer, philosopher, and social activist, and author of several books. Her autobiography, Living for Change, was published by University … More Grace Lee Boggs on biracialism, social movements, and hope for America

In 1971, a wedding heard ’round the world. #LoveWins

June 26, 2015

It is so ordered. Today’s momentous Unites States Supreme Court decision to strike all bans on same-sex marriage means a lot of things to a lot of people. For Michael McConnell and Jack Baker of Minneapolis, it is another historic landmark in a life full of historic landmarks. In 1971, McConnell and Baker became the … More In 1971, a wedding heard ’round the world. #LoveWins

NYT: The Same-Sex Couple Who Got a Marriage License in 1971

May 17, 2015

Minneapolis couple Jack Baker and Michael McConnell were profiled on the front page of today’s Sunday New York Times as the first same-sex couple known to apply for a marriage license, in 1970. Read their fascinating story here. The University of Minnesota Press will publish their memoir in January 2016. MINNEAPOLIS — Long before the fight … More NYT: The Same-Sex Couple Who Got a Marriage License in 1971