Author: TheConversation

By Kirby Farah, Lecturer of Anthropology, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo does not mark Mexican Independence, which is celebrated on September 16. Instead, it is meant to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, which was fought between the Mexican and French armies in 1862. In Mexico’s long and storied history, the Battle of Puebla is generally considered a fairly minor event. But its legacy lives on a century and a half later, particularly in the United States. BEATING BACK AN EMPIRE After Mexico won independence from...

By Joe R. Feagin, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University For the first time, most major Democratic presidential contenders are talking about whether the U.S. government should consider paying reparations to the descendants of African Americans who were enslaved and suffered from large-scale racial discrimination. At least three of these candidates, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, support the creation of a commission that would study the impact of slavery and the Jim Crow discrimination against black Americans that continued after emancipation. The commission would make...

By Chelsea Rochman and Diane Orihel, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Ontario Global and local community leaders from more than 170 countries have pledged to “significantly reduce” the amount of single-use plastic products by 2030. Success would result in significantly less plastic pollution entering our oceans, lakes and rivers. Societies around the world have a love affair with disposable plastics. Just like some love stories, this one has an unhappy ending that results in plastic bags, straws and takeout containers strewn about the global environment. As...

By Hany Farid, Professor of Computer Science, Dartmouth College Advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier to create compelling and sophisticated fake images, videos and audio recordings. One month before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, an “Access Hollywood” recording of Donald Trump was released in which he was heard lewdly talking about women. The then-candidate and his campaign apologized and dismissed the remarks as harmless. At the time, the authenticity of the recording was never questioned. Just two years later, the public finds itself in a dramatically different landscape in terms of believing what it sees and hears....

By Anna Mueller and Seth Abrutyn Assistant Professor of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Memphis Over the past two weeks, two students who survived the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have died by suicide, amplifying the tragedy that community has experienced. In recent years, research has shown that suicide has the potential to spread through social networks like a contagion. If someone is exposed to the suicide attempt or death of a friend, it increases that person’s risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts. The consequences can...

By Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton The recent massacre of 50 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand is the latest confirmation that white supremacy is a danger to democratic societies across the globe. Despite President Donald Trump’s suggestion that white nationalist terrorism is not a major problem, recent data from the United Nations, University of Chicago and other sources show the opposite. As more people embrace a xenophobic and anti-immigrant worldview, it is fueling hostility and violence toward those deemed “outsiders” – whether because of their religion, skin color or national origin....