Tag: Political Science

Syria: Traditions of Protest and the Reconfiguration of Baathist Authoritarianism

August 29, 2013

This post is excerpted from the essay “Syria” by Paulo Gabriel Hilu Pinto, which appears in Dispatches from the Arab Spring (UMP, 2013). ——-A long history of resistance and opposition to the Baathist regime existed in Syria before the uprising that began in 2011. While both secular and religious political movements had tried to counter … More Syria: Traditions of Protest and the Reconfiguration of Baathist Authoritarianism

Not capitalism 2.0 or 3.0, but a whole new operating system

August 7, 2013

This illustration by Adam Turnbull is featured in Take Back the Economy. By J.K. Gibson-Graham, Jenny Cameron, and Stephen Healy The task of imagining and enacting a new economy is one that is being taken up by a growing number of people around the world, as our new book Take Back the Economy: An Ethical … More Not capitalism 2.0 or 3.0, but a whole new operating system

Hot Spotter’s Report: Imagining alternate possibilities in a world in which toxicity and exposure are not the exception but the rule.

July 10, 2013

U.S. Department of Energy radiation hot spot detection equipment utilized at Rocky Flats, Colorado. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy. BY SHILOH R. KRUPARAssistant professor of culture and politics at Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University Growing up near two major plutonium processing facilities (Hanford, WA, and Rocky Flats, CO) … More Hot Spotter’s Report: Imagining alternate possibilities in a world in which toxicity and exposure are not the exception but the rule.

Prism leak reminds us to be critical of the seemingly essential—but risky—tools we use every day.

June 19, 2013

BY ULISES A. MEJIASAssistant professor of communication studies at the State University of New York, College at Oswego If leaked information about the surveillance program Prism is correct, the U.S. government is treating every citizen of the world as a potential terrorist. If the sign of a true democracy is that even the rights of … More Prism leak reminds us to be critical of the seemingly essential—but risky—tools we use every day.

On healing, settler colonialism, and Hawaiʻi: How can we use Idle No More’s momentum to push for changes in education?

April 10, 2013

In The Seeds We Planted: Portraits of a Native Hawaiian Charter School, Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua explores the paradoxes of reasserting Indigenous knowledge within a school system that has historically underwritten settler colonialism. She also asks how Indigenous and settler peoples can work together to unmake settler-colonial logics of elimination and containment. Here, Goodyear-Kaʻōpua comments on ways … More On healing, settler colonialism, and Hawaiʻi: How can we use Idle No More’s momentum to push for changes in education?

Visual culture and the Nazi perpetrator

January 23, 2013

The New York Times features a slideshow in its piece Wartime Architects: Creating Amid Chaos, on the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal’s exhibit “Architecture in Uniform: Designing and Building for the Second World War.” This slide depicts shots of wartime destruction by the German photographer August Sander. Here, Paul Jaskot discusses his new book … More Visual culture and the Nazi perpetrator

How did same-sex marriage gain historic wins at the ballot box yesterday? Three ideas.

November 7, 2012

BY AMY STONEAssistant professor of sociology at Trinity University in San Antonio Last night was a huge victory for same-sex marriage at the ballot box. This November, voters in four states—Minnesota, Maryland, Maine, and Washington—were faced with ballot measures about same-sex marriage. For the first time, these ballot measures (all except Minnesota) had the potential … More How did same-sex marriage gain historic wins at the ballot box yesterday? Three ideas.

Same-sex marriage: In November, four states have the power to make history.

October 10, 2012

It’s going to be a nail-biting month: While Minnesotans will decide whether to ban same-sex marriage at the polls in November, voters in Washington State, Maine, and Maryland will be deciding whether to legalize same-sex marriage. BY AMY STONEAssistant professor of sociology at Trinity University in San Antonio This fall, same-sex marriage will be on … More Same-sex marriage: In November, four states have the power to make history.

New Orleans’s "Uncle Lionel" Batiste: Feted in death, evicted after Katrina.

August 23, 2012

BY JOHN (JAY) ARENAAssistant professor of sociology at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island Uncle Lionel with the Treme Brass Band. “Uncle Lionel” Batiste, the legendary bass drummer and iconic figure of New Orleans music and culture, died on July 8th at the age of 80. Uncle Lionel — whose image … More New Orleans’s "Uncle Lionel" Batiste: Feted in death, evicted after Katrina.

Next steps in health-care showdown will be states’ opportunity to shine.

August 8, 2012

Legislative efforts in Minnesota during the 1975-76 term were similarto proposals made in the Affordable Care Act. BY TOM BERGAttorney and former Minnesota legislator One result of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to largely uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is already coming into play. A thoughtful discussion of federalism and the role of … More Next steps in health-care showdown will be states’ opportunity to shine.