Author: TheConversation

By John Logan, Professor and Director of Labor and Employment Studies, San Francisco State University Labor Day 2022 came smack in the middle of what is increasingly looking like a pivotal year in the history of American unions. The summer has seen a steady stream of workforce mobilizations. Employees at Trader Joe’s locations in Massachusetts and Minneapolis both voted to unionize. Meanwhile, restaurant chain Chipotle saw the first of its stores unionize, following a vote by workers at an outlet in Lansing, Michigan. It comes on the back of a wave of successful efforts to mobilize at Starbucks and...

By Peter Dreier, E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College Unions are more popular now than at any time since 1965, and the U.S. is in the midst of a new upsurge of union organizing. Is a Hollywood drama about angry Starbucks baristas or frustrated Amazon warehouse workers far behind? Hollywood studios and independent producers have long depicted the collective efforts of working people to improve their lives and gain a voice in their workplaces and the larger society. Some of the most well-known labor movies champion the struggle of the everyday worker: “Modern Times,” released in 1936,...

By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury The premiere episode of “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon: The Heirs of the Dragon,” establishes its central themes of gender and power in a bloody fashion. Its shocking depiction of a fatal cesarean birth is notable for its brutality, but also for how it reflects on histories of pregnant representation and reproductive politics. The series dramatises a civil war in which factions of the Targaryen family fight for the Iron Throne of Westeros. As we start, young Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) has been...

By Emily Zarka, Instructor in English , Arizona State University The premiere of HBO’s prequel to “Game of Thrones,” “House of the Dragon” is likely to bring more attention to the ferocious dragon. Two-legged or four, fire-breathing or shape-shifting, scaled or feathered, dragons fascinate people across the world with their legendary power. This should not be surprising. Long before “Harry Potter,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and other modern interpretations increased the dragon’s notoriety in the 21st century, artifacts from ancient civilizations indicated their importance in many religions across the world. As a scholar of monsters,...

By Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor and Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology China’s well-publicized Belt and Road Initiative to invest in infrastructure projects in other countries has helped it expand its political influence around the world. But a newer, lesser-known development program has launched with apparently similar objectives. There is no question that China is a major player in world affairs, representing the second-largest economy in the world after the United States. In his role as a world leader, China’s President Xi Jinping periodically announces global projects designed to promote China on the world...

By Aaron Hertzmann, Affiliate Faculty of Computer Science, University of Washington Over the past few years, many artists have started to use what is called “neural network software” to create works of art. Users input existing images into the software, which has been programmed to analyze them, learn a specific aesthetic and spit out new images that artists can curate. By manipulating the inputs and parameters of these models, artists can produce a range of interesting and evocative images. This work has gained widespread recognition through gallery shows, media coverage and two high-profile art auctions. As an academic researcher,...