Information

Matrix Lecture

Recap

Published March 1, 2023

Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar: Reimagining Global Integration

Recorded on February 15, 2023, this Matrix Distinguished Lecture featured Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, presenting a talk entitled "Reimagining Global Integration." A former justice of the Supreme Court of California, Justice Cuéllar served two U.S. presidents at the White House and in federal agencies, and was a faculty member at Stanford University for two decades. Watch a video of the lecture — or listen to the recording.

Learn More >

Lecture

Recap

Published February 18, 2023

Citrin Award Lecture: “Does Political Propaganda Work,” Donald P. Green

Recorded on February 10, 2023, this video features the 2022 Citrin Award Lecture, presented by Donald P. Green, J.W. Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. Professor Green's lecture, "Does Political Propaganda Work?", was presented by the Jack Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research at UC Berkeley.

Learn More >

Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published November 3, 2022

Voices in the Code: A Story About People, Their Values, and the Algorithm They Made

 Recorded on October 10, 2022, this “Authors Meet Critics” panel focused on the book Voices in the Code: A Story About People, Their Values, and the Algorithm They Made, by David Robinson, a visiting scholar at Social Science Matrix and a member of the faculty at Apple University. Robinson was joined in conversation by […]

Learn More >

Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published November 3, 2022

Keeping It Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics

Recorded on October 14, 2022, this Authors Meet Critics panel focused on the book "Keeping It Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics," by Darieck Scott, Professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley. Scott was joined in conversation by Ula Taylor and Scott Bukatman, with Greg Niemeyer moderating.

Learn More >

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published October 12, 2022

Humanitarian Technologies

Recorded on September 26, 2022, this "Matrix on Point" panel featured a group of scholars — including Daragh Murrah, Fleur Johns, and Wendy H. Wong — examining how technology raises new questions about the efficacy of humanitarian interventions, the human rights of recipients, and the broader power relations between donors and recipients. Moderated by Berkeley Law's Laurel E. Fletcher.

Learn More >

Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published September 21, 2022

The Government of Emergency: Vital Systems, Expertise, and the Politics of Security

Watch the video (or listen to the recording) of our recent "Authors Meet Critics" panel discussion on the book "The Government of Emergency: Vital Systems, Expertise, and the Politics of Security," by Stephen Collier and Andrew Lakoff, which explores the evolution of how experts and officials prepare for catastrophic risks. The authors were joined in conversation by Cathryn Carson and Michael Watts, with Aihwa Ong moderating.

Learn More >

Matrix Research Team

Recap

Published May 3, 2022

Digital Transformations in Global Land, Housing, and Property

Recorded on April 27, 2022, this panel discussion brought together members of the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix Research Team on Digital Transformations in Property and Development to discuss how state, corporations, and grassroots actors are employing digital technologies to remake global land, housing, and property.

Learn More >

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published April 15, 2022

The Future of Money: Mobile Money, Social Media, and Cashless Economies

Focusing on forms of cashless payment, such as mobile money and apps, this "Matrix on Point" panel explored questions about how the social connections made through money are changing, and what the implications might be for our understanding of money, trust, and social connection. The panel featured Kevin Donovan, Lecturer in the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh; Lana Swartz, Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia; and Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The panel was moderated by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley and Director of Social Science Matrix.

Learn More >

Podcast

Interview

Published April 12, 2022

What Happened to the Week? An Interview with David Henkin

For this episode of the Matrix podcast, Julia Sizek interviewed David M. Henkin, the Margaret Byrne Professor of History, about his book, The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms that Make Us Who We Are. With meticulous archival research that draws on a wide array of sources — including newspapers, restaurant menus, theater schedules, marriage records, school curricula, folklore, housekeeping guides, courtroom testimony, and diaries — Henkin reveals how our current devotion to weekly rhythms emerged in the United States during the first half of the 19th century.

Learn More >

Matrix Lecture

Recap

Published February 28, 2022

The Problem of Trust in the Digital Public Sphere

On February 24, 2022, Matrix was honored to host William Davies, Professor of Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London, for a Matrix Distinguished Lecture. Davies explored how the digitization of our public sphere has made trust harder to establish, as the ideal of “facts” has been challenged by that of “real-time data,” and consequently altered the forms of allegiance, organization, and political coalitions that are possible.

Learn More >

Article

Interview

Published February 8, 2022

Innovation Matters: Competition Policy for the High-Tech Economy

In his new book, "Innovation Matters: Competition Policy for the High-Technology Economy," Richard Gilbert, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at UC Berkeley, argues that regulators should be considering the effects of mergers and monopolies on innovation, rather than price. Read our Q&A with Professor Gilbert.

Learn More >

Article

Interview

Published January 19, 2022

Online Extremism and Political Advertising: A Visual Interview With Laura Jakli

Using data from online advertising, Laura Jakli, a 2020 PhD graduate from UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science, studies political extremism, destigmatization, and radicalization, focusing on the role of popularity cues in online media. Read a Q&A interview with Jakli, based on political ads and graphics.

Learn More >