Matrix On Point
Recap
Published June 12, 2025
Technology and China in the New Political Economy
Recorded on April 18, 2025, this Matrix on Point panel brought together experts of the Chinese political economy and law and society in a conversation to discuss the political, economic, security, and social dimensions and complexities of technology in China’s internationalization during times of global tensions. The panel featured Mark Dallas, Roselyn Hsueh, and Rachel E. Stern; it was moderated and chaired by AnnaLee Saxenian.
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Recap
Published June 12, 2025
Governing Giants: Law, Politics, and Antitrust
Recorded on April 25, 2025, this panel brought together scholars of political science, economics, and law to discuss the changing landscape of antitrust policy in an era of multinational corporations. Moderated by Ryan Brutger, the panel included Amy Pond (Washington University St. Louis, Political Science), Prasad Krishnamurthy (UC Berkeley, Law), and Michael Allen (Stanford, Political Science).
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Recap
Published May 20, 2025
150 Years of Border Control: The Legacy of the 1875 Page Act
Recorded on April 23, 2025, this panel marked the 150th anniversary of the Page Act of 1875, one of the first federal laws to restrict immigration to the United States — especially Asian immigration, as the law prohibited the importation of Asian contract workers, prostitutes (a provision targeted against Chinese women), and criminals.
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Recap
Published May 14, 2025
Matrix on Point: The New Gender Gap
New research reveals a growing gender gap in attitudes across a range of topics, particularly striking among younger generations. Recorded on April 7, 2025, this panel brought together experts to discuss the contours and complexities of this “new gender gap” and explore its ramifications for politics, demography, and societal cohesion.
Learn More >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 10, 2025
Mainstreaming Psychedelics
Psychedelics are steadily moving from the fringes of counterculture to the heart of mainstream society, driven by a growing body of research and shifting public perception. As psychedelics shed their stigma, they are catalyzing a broader conversation about mental health, spirituality, and the boundaries of human consciousness. Recorded on March 6, 2025, this panel featured Diana Negrin, David Presti, Charles Hirschkind, and Graham Pechenik, with Poulomi Saha moderating.
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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.
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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 >New Directions
Recap
Published February 19, 2025
New Directions in the Study of Fringe Politics
Fringe politics today is highly diverse and dynamic, reflecting the rapid social, technological, and economic changes of the 21st century. While the term “fringe” suggests ideas or movements outside the political mainstream, many fringe ideologies have increasingly influenced, or even reshaped, national and global political landscapes. Recorded on February 4, 2025, this panel brought together a group of UC Berkeley graduate students from the fields of geography, anthropology, and sociology for a discussion on politics on the fringe through the lens of such topics as QAnon, religious studies, and California secessionism.
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