Podcast
Interview
Published February 26, 2025
Interview with Julia Sizek: Regulating Off-Roading in the California Desert
Julia Sizek is a writer and anthropologist who studies the California desert and rural land management more broadly. Her work focuses on the politics of land in the California desert, including: the cultural politics of conservation acquisition in the railroad checkerboard, the rhetoric of environmental impact reporting, and the legal geographies of off-highway vehicle use. […]
Learn More >California Spotlight
Recap
Published February 19, 2025
The Future of California Agriculture
As one of the nation’s agricultural powerhouses, California’s farming industry stands at a critical juncture. Climate change, labor availability and migration, and rapidly evolving technologies are reshaping the landscape of agriculture in the Golden State. This panel, recorded on January 30, 2025 and presented as part of the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix California Spotlight series, brought together experts to analyze these changes and explore their implications for agricultural communities and rural economies.
Learn More >Global Democracy Commons
Recap
Published December 17, 2024
Making Sense of the Elections of 2024
Presented as part of the Global Democracy Commons initiative, this panel featured UC Berkeley scholars discussing the 2024 elections in different parts of the world. The panel included James Vernon, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor, History; Alison Post, Associate Professor, Political Science; Trevor Jackson, Assistant Professor, History; Aarti Sethi, Assistant Professor, Anthropology; and Kwanele Sosibo, Lecturer, Art History.
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Interview
Published December 16, 2024
Gendered Violence in Insurgencies: Interview with Tara Chandra
This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Tara Chandra, a consultant and independent researcher who received a PhD in Political Science with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from UC Berkeley. The interview focused on Chandra's work on gendered violence in insurgencies and counterinsurgencies.
Learn More >New Directions
Recap
Published December 16, 2024
New Directions in the Study of Labor
In this panel, an interdisciplinary group of UC Berkeley graduate students explored the evolving dynamics of work, management, and labor organization. The panel featured presentations by William Darwell (Jurisprudence and Social Policy), Kristy Kim (Economics), and Vera Parra (Sociology). Moderated by John Logan, Visiting Scholar at the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published December 12, 2024
Authoritarian Absorption: The Transnational Remaking of Epidemic Politics in China
Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of or our Authors Meet Critics panel featuring "Authoritarian Absorption: The Transnational Remaking of Epidemic Politics in China," by Yan Long, Assistant Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology. Professor Long was joined in conversation by Matthew Kohrman and Rachel E. Stern, with Tom Gold moderating.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published November 26, 2024
Shifting Alignments in the 2024 Election
Recorded on October 25, 2024, this panel examined the shifting demographic and political forces that are redefining the traditional bases of the Democratic and Republican parties and their efforts to build new electoral coalitions. The panel featured Ian Haney López, David Hollinger, and Omar Wasow, and was moderated by G. Cristina Mora.
Learn More >Podcast
Interview
Published November 19, 2024
The Imperiled Place of Universities and Democracy in the USA: An Interview with Todd Wolfson
This Matrix Podcast episode features a conversation between James Vernon, Director of the Global Democracy Commons initiative, and Todd Wolfson, the new President of AAUP, about how public disinvestment from higher education and the culture wars have transformed colleges in ways that make them less democratic places — and imperil democracy across the country.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published November 11, 2024
Matrix on Point: Voices from the Heartland
Recorded on October 21, 2024, this Matrix on Point panel featured three scholars — Arlie Hochschild, Jenny Reardon, and Lisa Pruitt — discussing the frequently overlooked yet politically potent voices emanating from America’s rural heartlands and small towns. Moderated by Cihan Tuğal.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published November 11, 2024
Authors Meet Critics: “Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era”
Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our Authors Meet Critics panel "Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era," by Paul Pierson and Eric Schickler, who were joined in conversation by Francis Fukuyama and Didi Kuo. Moderated by Mark Danner.
Learn More >Podcast
Interview
Published November 1, 2024
Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and the Fragile History of American Democracy
This Matrix Podcast episode features a conversation between James Vernon, Director of the Global Democracy Commons initiative, and Hank Reichman, Professor Emeritus at Cal State East Bay, and author of Understanding Academic Freedom.
Learn More >Podcast
Interview
Published September 27, 2024
Prisoner Labor Legacies: An interview with Elizabeth Hargrett and Xander Lenc
While recent news has highlighted how prisoners have fought wildfires, prison labor is not a new phenomenon. Although incarcerated people have built highways, dams, and buildings, their contributions to American infrastructure are often made invisible. Both Elizabeth Hargrett and Xander Lenc have studied how prisoner labor has shaped America’s infrastructure with a focus on North […]
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