Matrix On Point
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.
Learn More >Matrix Book Salon
Recap
Published May 11, 2021
Matrix Book Salon: “Race to the Bottom: How Racial Appeals Work in American Politics”
Recorded on May 7, 2021, this UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix Book Salon featured the book, "Race to the Bottom: How Racial Appeals Work in American Politics," by LaFleur Stephens-Dougan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at Princeton University, who was joined in conversation by Taeku Lee, Professor of Political Science and Law at UC Berkeley.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published May 4, 2021
Truth & Denial: Searching for Information in the Digital Era
On April 22, 2021, a "Matrix on Point" panel discussion focused on questions of objectivity, disinformation, and the construction of truth from a media-consumption (rather than media-production) perspective, focusing on how internet users find information, how algorithms play a deterministic role in search results, and how lies propagate and solidify.
Learn More >Other Events
News
Published May 1, 2021
2021 Social Sciences Fest and Matrix Open House
On April 9, faculty members and graduate students from across the UC Berkeley Division of Social Sciences joined together online for the 2021 Social Sciences Fest and Matrix Open House, a celebration of the past year's accomplishments of the division.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published April 26, 2021
“Redistributing the Poor: Jails, Hospitals, and the Crisis of Law and Fiscal Austerity”
Recorded on April 19, 2021, this panel featured a conversation about the book, "Redistributing the Poor: Jails, Hospitals, and the Crisis of Law and Fiscal Austerity," by Armando Lara-Millán, Assistant Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology at UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Center for Study of Law and Society (CSLS).
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published April 15, 2021
The Long History and Present Surge of Anti-Asian Violence
Recorded on April 1, 2021, this panel — presented as part of the Berkeley Conversations and Matrix on Point series — considered the long history of anti-Asian racism and present-day patterns linked to the pandemic and to cultural anxieties about Asian ascendancy and Western decline.
Learn More >Solidarity and Strife
Recap
Published April 13, 2021
Beyond Competition: Alternative Discovery Procedures & The Postcapitalist Public Sphere
On March 19, 2021, Matrix presented a lecture by Evgeny Morozov, author of The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. Presented as part of the SSRC-sponsored research initiative, "Solidarity and Strife: Democracies in a Time of Pandemic.”
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