Past Events

Federal immigration enforcement in the United States is increasingly shaped by the convergence of surveillance technologies, data systems, and on-the-ground policing practices. This panel will bring together a group of scholars from diverse disciplines to examine the social and political consequences — and the stakes for rights in an era of technological governance. 

Join the Goldman School and Social Science Matrix for a discussion with Kevin Morris, senior research fellow and voting policy scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice, on the history of the Voting Rights Act, the role of the Supreme Court, and the current state of voting rights across the United States.

Join us on October 20 for a Matrix Teach-In by Desmond Jagmohan, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley. The Matrix Teach-In series brings some of UC Berkeley’s most engaging social science lecturers into a public setting.

Please join us on October 15 as the Latinx Research Center will host a book presentation by Norma Alarcón, Professor Emerita of Chicanx Latinx Studies at UC Berkeley, a groundbreaking Chicana theorist and feminist scholar.

This panel will bring together advanced graduate students from UC Berkeley whose research examines the forces shaping green energy transitions around the world. Drawing on emerging scholarship spanning energy systems, technological change, environmental policy, and social equity, the discussion will explore how societies can navigate the opportunities and tradeoffs of decarbonization, and what is at stake for communities, economies, and the future of the planet.

California is one of the wealthiest states in the country, yet it also faces persistent poverty, stark economic inequality, and some of the highest costs of living in the nation. This panel brings together leading scholars to examine the forces shaping wealth and poverty across the state. Featuring David Grusky, and Samuel Trachtman.

In ancient Greece, demokratia meant “rule by the people”—but what people, and how did they rule? In this book, Daniela Cammack argues that demokratia meant rule by the crowd that assembled when a public meeting was held. This crowd was the demos, which the Greeks distinguished from orators, generals, councilors, public benefactors, and other civic leaders. Drawing on literary and epigraphical evidence as well as the key theoretical insights of Aristotle and Hobbes, Cammack explains how constantly changing masses of ordinary ancient Greek men ruled while their leaders were ruled over.

In their new book, "Normalizing Inequality," sociologists G. Cristina Mora and Tianna S. Paschel illuminate how middle-class Californians perceive and come to accept the inequalities that surround them. At this Authors Meet Critics event, Professors Mora and Paschel will be joined in conversation by Desmond Jagmohan and Lisa García Bedolla, with Nicholas Vargas moderating.

Join us on May 5 for a talk on "The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us," by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. The conversation will be moderated by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of Social Science Matrix.

Please join us on Tuesday, April 21 for a lecture by Simone Zhang, Assistant Professor of Sociology at New York University. Zhang's research examines how classification systems, predictive models, and AI shape the distribution of benefits, burdens, and recognition in society. Much of her work focuses on the implications of these systems for institutional decision-making in social policy, education, and law.

Please join us on Thursday, April 9th from 12-1:30pm for an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book "Incommunicable: Toward Communicative Justice in Health and Medicine," by Charles Briggs, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at UC Berkeley. Professor Briggs will be joined in conversation by Elinor Ochs and Eric Snoey.

Amid shifting global dynamics and the rapid development of stablecoins and other digital assets, new questions are emerging around the structure and evolution of dollar hegemony. This panel will bring together scholars and industry voices to examine the foundation of US monetary influence and the role of financial innovation in an evolving global economy.