Two Lessons I Learned about the Transfer of Power while Living in Africa
1. The moment that any transfer of power occurs from one individual or regime to another is fraught—ritually, sociologically, emotionally. Why? This …
Long Past Time for the 25th Amendment*
There will be plenty of time for Biden to use his extraordinary faith and energy and creativity to think about how this …
What to Call US Border Detention Centers?
The controversy over the term “concentration camps” stems from the connotations it carries, setting up analogies that risk hyperbole and overlook the …
Speak the Names of Those Who Were Lost
Naming can dignify, disparage or even deny one’s social standing. Days after the horrific attack on the Christchurch mosque in New Zealand, …
Americans Can Do Two Things at the Same Time
Surely we have heard and seen enough by now that any lingering “optimism” about Trump governing as an anti-interventionist in foreign affairs …
When Women’s Laughter Keeps Men in Line
Among the Mbendjele gathering-hunting people who live in the Republic of Congo, “women’s laughter manages to keep men in line.” Drawing from …
Book Review: Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
In Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, Arlie Russell Hochschild explores the ‘deep story’ behind the rise of …
→Sociology and Anthropology book reviews – LSE Review of Books
Book Review: Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
In Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, Arlie Russell Hochschild explores the ‘deep story’ behind the rise of …
→Sociology and Anthropology book reviews – LSE Review of Books
Government Of, By, and For the Trolls
Countering Trump begins by recognizing his role as troller-in-chief. The United States and the world have now spent two years trying to …
Fighting America, One iPhone at a Time
Boycotts, illusions and the making of the new Turkey Find it absurd. Find it irrational. But while those infuriated with Nike in …
Speaking with Silence
Silence can be a powerful communicative tool in today’s political landscape. Words take center stage in the verbal sparring of the Twitter …
Reclaiming “Allahu Akbar” from Semantic Pejoration
Allāhu akbar, the Arabic phrase meaning “God is the greatest,” has gained connotations in US public discourse that differ vastly from its …
The Helsinki Summit: Trying to Turn the Page on the New Cold War
Finally, on Monday, July 16, 2018, the Helsinki Summit bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump took place, …
Which Door Has Opened? Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump, and the Singapore Summit
Both leaders arrived in Singapore, with significant excitement greeting them. Trump, arriving from a bitter G7 meeting, after which he attacked Justin …
Better Off Without NAFTA, Part 3: Mexico—Armed Rebellion, Mass Migration, Flat GDP
Getting Past the Propaganda We are routinely told that Mexico has grown into the “one of the more robust emerging economies with …
Better Off Without NAFTA, Part 1: Introduction—the US, Trump, and Facts and Fictions about Winners and Losers
Canada, Mexico, and the US: we could argue that any one of these nation-states “lost” because of NAFTA while the others “won”. …
How “Fake News” Lost Its Meaning
Collins Dictionary named “fake news” its 2017 word of the year, an easy choice given the word’s “unprecedented usage increase” of 365 …
Trade War and the Nationalist Exchange: Trudeau Trails Trump
“These tariffs are totally unacceptable. For 150 years, Canada has been America’s most steadfast ally. Canadians have served alongside Americans in two …
North Korea: The Undaunted State Tests the Limits of Empire
North Korea is an exceptional state, but unlike an imperial power it lacks a doctrine of exceptionalism. It is exceptional in that …
#MeToo Holds Lessons for Political Resistance
How to Stop the Normalizing of Trump. Remember when everyone feared the “normalization” of a Trump presidency? Well, it’s gotten to the …
Documentary Review: “The China Hustle” is a Problematic Cautionary Tale
What if the Chinese “economic miracle” were proven to be, like so many other alleged miracles, a mass of illusions? What if …
A Theory of Propaganda for the Social Media Age
Intertextuality and the propagation of disinformation Propaganda typically refers to manipulative techniques and misleading messages used to gain public acquiescence for a …
Marc Edelman: Sacrifice zones in rural and nonmetro USA: Fertile soil for authoritarian populism
Sacrifice zones—abandoned, economically shattered places, with growing social and health problems—are spreading in historically white rural areas and small towns across the …
What Happened to the American Empire?
Has anything out of the ordinary happened to the US as an imperialist power since the ascent of Trump to office? While …