Authors Meet Critics
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Event Date: April 7th, 2026
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM PT
Trevor Jackson: “The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World”
Join us for a panel on "The Insatiable Machine," by Professor Trevor Jackson, which traces capitalism’s development from the accidental construction of an international monetary system to the creation of banking, the emergence of a new form of slavery, fossil–fuel industrialization, and finally the global capitalist system spread by imperialism.
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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.
Learn More >California Spotlight
Recap
Published February 19, 2025
The Future of California Agriculture
As one of the nation’s agricultural powerhouses, California’s farming industry stands at a critical juncture. Climate change, labor availability and migration, and rapidly evolving technologies are reshaping the landscape of agriculture in the Golden State. This panel, recorded on January 30, 2025 and presented as part of the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix California Spotlight series, brought together experts to analyze these changes and explore their implications for agricultural communities and rural economies.
Learn More >Matrix News
Funding Opportunity
Published February 6, 2025
Applications Open: 2025-2026 Research Teams, Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship
The application window is now open for two funding opportunities: 2025-2026 Matrix Research Teams (deadline Mar. 14), and the Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship (deadline Mar. 31).
Learn More >Global Democracy Commons
Recap
Published December 17, 2024
Making Sense of the Elections of 2024
Presented as part of the Global Democracy Commons initiative, this panel featured UC Berkeley scholars discussing the 2024 elections in different parts of the world. The panel included James Vernon, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor, History; Alison Post, Associate Professor, Political Science; Trevor Jackson, Assistant Professor, History; Aarti Sethi, Assistant Professor, Anthropology; and Kwanele Sosibo, Lecturer, Art History.
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Interview
Published December 16, 2024
Gendered Violence in Insurgencies: Interview with Tara Chandra
This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Tara Chandra, a consultant and independent researcher who received a PhD in Political Science with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from UC Berkeley. The interview focused on Chandra's work on gendered violence in insurgencies and counterinsurgencies.
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