Tag: Political Science

Turning from political extremes to new forms of collective action

August 18, 2016

BY GERDA ROELVINKSenior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Western Sydney University While those from the political extremes seem to be excited and increasingly agitated about their participation in democracies across the globe, with the US and Australia being good recent examples, a larger majority of perhaps more moderate people appear … More Turning from political extremes to new forms of collective action

How tourism is deeply implicated in the antagonistic global structures that lead to war.

August 9, 2016

BY DEBBIE LISLESchool of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast After the emergence of organized mass tourism in the mid-19th century, billions of people have indulged their desires to visit cultures, landscapes, and experiences different from their own. No place on the planet is immune to the tourist gaze: alongside familiar visits … More How tourism is deeply implicated in the antagonistic global structures that lead to war.

The politics behind the metabolic health crisis in the United States

May 6, 2016

BY ANTHONY RYAN HATCHAssistant professor in the Science in Society Program at Wesleyan University Our metabolic health crisis—as defined by the conjoined endemics of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity—continues to surprise biomedical researchers, frustrate health experts, and disable and harm millions of people. This week, three news stories illuminate yet again how the … More The politics behind the metabolic health crisis in the United States

On freegans, pre-peeled oranges, and ethical consumer ‘Whack-A-Mole’

March 28, 2016

Photo courtesy of the author. BY ALEX V. BARNARDFood justice activist and doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley Whole Foods felt the wrath of the Twitter-sphere this month. The episode started with consumers questioning the company’s ethical bona-fides but, in the end, cast into doubt the effectiveness of “ethical consumerism” itself. … More On freegans, pre-peeled oranges, and ethical consumer ‘Whack-A-Mole’

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."

What would an environmentalism that engages with the contemporary realities of migration look like? John Hultgren exposes connections between anti-immigrant politics and environmentalism.

December 1, 2015

The U.S.-Mexico border at California and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.Here, author John Hultgren asks: What would an environmentalism look likethat engages with the contemporary realities of migration?Image via Creative Commons. BY JOHN HULTGRENLecturer in the Department of Politics and International Affairs at Northern Arizona University What do Donald Trump, Canadian environmental activist David Suzuki, and … More What would an environmentalism that engages with the contemporary realities of migration look like? John Hultgren exposes connections between anti-immigrant politics and environmentalism.

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

On ‘big data’ and the ways we evaluate women’s lives on a global scale

July 16, 2015

No Ceilings uses data sets to tell stories about gender inequality worldwide.What are the stories behind the data?Image: Screenshot, noceilings.org. BY ALICE KANGAssistant professor of political science and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln On March 9, 2015, one day after International Women’s Day, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Gates Foundation co-chair Melinda … More On ‘big data’ and the ways we evaluate women’s lives on a global scale