Religion

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published September 13, 2021

Matrix on Point: Leaving Afghanistan

On September 7, 2021, UC Berkeley’s Social Science Matrix and the Institute of International Studies (IIS) hosted a panel discussion, “Matrix on Point: Leaving Afghanistan,” that featured a group of scholars examining the geopolitical and humanitarian consequences of the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The panel featured Omar Sharifi, from American University of Afghanistan; Robert Crews, from Stanford University; Dipali Mukhopadhyay, from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs; and Georgi Derluguian, from NYU Abu Dhabi. UC Berkeley's Daniel Sargent, moderated. Watch the video, or listen to the discussion as a podcast.

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Podcast

Interview

Published September 9, 2021

Matrix Podcast: Interview with Juliana Friend, PhD Candidate, Anthropology

In this podcast, Julia Sizek interviews Juliana Friend, a PhD candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Anthropology, whose research focuses on the intersection of technology, privacy, and culture. Her dissertation, “Don’t Click Here! Porn, Privacy, and Digital Dissidence in Senegal,” examines how digital dissidents are transforming the idea of sutura (discretion or modesty), a concept used to describe the appropriate relationship between private and public life in Senegal.

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Postcolonialism

Recap

Published March 10, 2020

Eros Ideologies: Writings on Art, Spirituality, and the Decolonial

Recorded on February 27, 2020, this “Authors Meet Critics” discussion focused on Professor Laura Eliza Pérez's book Eros Ideologies: Writings on Art, Spirituality, and the Decolonial (Duke University Press). Pérez, Professor of Ethnic Studies and and Chair of the Latinx Research Center, was joined by Natalia Brizuela and Julia Bryan-Wilson.

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Solidarity

Published March 22, 2018

Threatened Scholars

Recorded on February 27, 2018, panelists discuss the various types of threats facing scholars around the world, as well as as solutions that have been developed by governments, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations, including Scholars at Risk, which works to protect threatened scholars and promote academic freedom around the world.

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Other Events

Recap

Published March 9, 2017

Clair Brown, “Buddhist Economics”

On March 2, 2017, Clair Brown, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Work, Technology, and Society at UC Berkeley, discussed her new book, Buddhist Economics: An Enlightened Approach to the Dismal Science.

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Grants and Opportunities

News

Published October 10, 2016

Matrix Welcomes 2016-2017 Dissertation Fellows

Social Science Matrix is honored to welcome our inaugural group of Matrix Dissertation Fellows, five Ph.D. students whose research has strong potential to generate effective solutions to critical global challenges.

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Interview

Article

Published September 6, 2016

Karen Barkey: “Shared Sacred Sites”

Dr. Karen Barkey, a sociologist joining UC Berkeley in Fall 2016, directs the Shared Sacred Sites initiative, which uses digital humanities methods to present fieldwork on sacred sites shared by different religious communities.

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Grants and Opportunities

Published October 4, 2015

Hanks Receives Staley Book Prize

Congratulations to William F. Hanks, UC Berkeley Distinguished Chair in Linguistic Anthropology and Director of Social Science Matrix, for receiving the 2015 J.I. Staley Book Prize, one of the most prestigious prizes in the field of anthropology.

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Culture

Published April 15, 2015

Thomas Laqueur: “Long Live the Dead”

In a forthcoming book, UC Berkeley Professor of History Thomas Laqueur examines how the peculiar relationship between the living and dead has evolved over time.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published March 30, 2015

Kerwin Klein: “Mountain Views”

Europeans used to regard mountains as fearsome and unapproachable, but this perception has shifted over time, says UC Berkeley Professor of History Kerwin Klein.

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