Social media never forgets: Why the digital experience of daily life makes it hard to move on from a breakup
By Kate G. Blackburn, Post Doctoral Researcher, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts; Leah E. LeFebvre, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Alabama; and Nick Brody, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, University of Puget...
The loss of “Black Twitter” would make it harder to discuss racism and publicize police brutality
By Deion Scott Hawkins, Assistant Professor of Argumentation & Advocacy, Emerson College Before the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Sandra Bland were propelled into the media spotlight, their names were Twitter #hashtags. In 2020,...
Disney’s Magic: When people come close to crossing the boundaries between consumerism and religion
By Hannah McKillop, Doctoral Student in Religious Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Disney has been making the headlines lately, but it has not been about blockbusters. Recently, people have been up in arms over a ruined Disney park proposal and a...
Simmering Tensions: Why talking across the political aisle helps reduce hostility
By Dominik Stecuła, Assistant professor of political science, Colorado State University; and Matthew Levendusky, Professor of political science, University of Pennsylvania Simmering tension in American politics came to a head two years ago, when a mob of Trump...
Race, Ethnicity, and Age: Why employers are forced to be more flexible as workplace diversity grows
By Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Increased immigration, longer life expectancy and a decline in birth rates are transforming the U.S. workforce in two important ways. The people powering this...
Joy of Nature: After generations of racial exclusion Black Americans are re-embracing the Great Outdoors
In Monroe, Georgia, on July 31, 1946, “The Savannah Tribune” reported a “mass lynching,” in which a “mob of 20 or more men, who lined up two Negro men and their wives in the woods, shot them to death.” This horrific practice was as uniquely American in the...
Stalled Funding: Wisconsin explores regional services as fix for struggling emergency mental health system
When Chrissy Barnard faced a mental health crisis and most needed care, law enforcement handcuffed her, placed her in the back of a patrol car and drove her five hours to Wisconsin’s only state-run mental health facility for the general public. Barnard remembers the...
What America Denies: The racial myths and fabrications that Whiteness tells itself
On November 8, my daughter, Samantha Sencer-Mura, a professional educator, became the first Japanese American elected as a representative from her district to the Minnesota State Legislature. And yet the story of our family and community is not necessarily one of...
Winter of Discontent: Poor performance and low morale of Russian soldiers expected to worsen
By Liam Collins, Founding Director, Modern War Institute, United States Military Academy West Point With Russian troops digging trenches to prepare for an expected winter standoff, it would be easy to conclude that fighting will slow in Ukraine until after the ground...
Weaponized Education: Ukraine schools remain a key battleground in the fight for the nation’s future
By Katja Kolcio, Associate Professor of Dance, Environmental Studies and Education Studies, Wesleyan University When Russian missiles struck Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv on New Year’s Eve, the damaged buildings included a university and at least two schools. As a...
No longer just pawns: How the war in Ukraine is shifting the balance of power to Eastern Europe
As 2022 is coming to a close, the war in Ukraine rages unabated. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees what he still calls a “special military operation” as a life-or-death contest with the United States and its allies in NATO. The West, for its part, considers the...
The Winter Campaign: Putin has been weaponizing energy for years and has no incentive to stop now
By Thomas Froehlich, Research Fellow, King’s College London Not since the 1970s oil crisis has the west seen such a focus on energy security. Suddenly in 2022 it became a critical part of the battle for Ukraine. Russian attacks on energy facilities have left...
