CRELS
Recap
Published April 23, 2025
Consequential Sentences: Computational Analyses of California Parole Hearing Transcripts
Recorded on April 1, 2025, this video features a talk by AJ Alvero, a computational sociologist at Cornell University, presenting findings from an analysis of parole hearing transcripts in California. This talk is part of a symposium series presented by the UC Berkeley Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System Training Program (CRELS), which […]
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Recap
Published April 23, 2025
Alex Roehrkasse: The New Contours of Mass Incarceration
Recorded on March 18, 2025, this video features a talk by Alexander F. Roehrkasse, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Butler University. In the talk, Roehrkasse presents new evidence of declining Black–White inequality and skyrocketing educational inequality in U.S. prison admissions.
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Interview
Published April 1, 2025
Social, Spatial, Ecological, and Racial Fixes in New Deal South Carolina: Interview with Morgan Vickers
This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Morgan P. Vickers, an Assistant Professor of Race/Racialization in the Department of Law, Societies & Justice at the University of Washington. Vickers received their Ph.D. in Geography from UC Berkeley.
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Interview
Published March 28, 2025
The State of Higher Education: Interview with Lorna Finlayson
As universities across England and Wales continue to announce redundancies and close departments and programs, James Vernon, Director of the Global Democracy Commons project, spoke with political theorist Lorna Finlayson about the nature of the crisis, why academics are relatively restrained in their responses to it, and how students offer some hope for alternative visions of higher education.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published March 12, 2025
Los Angeles Wildfires: Risk, Resilience, and Collective Action
Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of this Matrix on Point panel focused on the management of wildfires in urban areas, recorded in the weeks following the devastating fires in Los Angeles. The panel featured Christopher Ansell, Kenichi Soga, and Marta Gonzalez, and was moderated by Louise Comfort.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published March 12, 2025
Society Despite the State: Reimagining Geographies of Order
Recorded on February 10, 2025, this "Authors Meet Critics" panel centered on the book "Society Despite the State: Reimagining Geographies of Order," by Gerónimo Barrera de la Torre, Assistant Professor of Geography at UC Berkeley, and Anthony Ince, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Human Geography at Cardiff University and British Academy Mid-Career Fellow. The authors were joined in conversation by Dylan John Riley and Anna Stilz, and Jake Kosek moderated.
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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.
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