By William T. Taylor, author of Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human HistoryIn our world today, it’s pretty unusual to see a horse riding down the street. In most cities and towns around the world, horses have retreated to the edges of daily life – appearing more often in sporting events or novelty t...
By Lawrence Kramer, author of Experiencing Sound: The Sensation of BeingOn the two-hundredth anniversary of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which premiered on May 7th, 1824, The New York Times ran an opinion piece on the work by the distinguished pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. The next day Beet...
This post was originally published by the Center for Media and Social Impact and is shared here with permission.For decades, our own Patricia Aufderheide—who founded this organization’s precursor, the Center for Social Media—has chronicled, studied, and impacted the global community of documentary s...
This obituary was written by Maureen Norton-Hawk and Susan Sered, co-authors of Can’t Catch a Break: Gender, Jail, Drugs, and the Limits of Personal Responsibility, and originally posted here. “The tough-looking blonde over there,” is how Darlene was described to us nearly fifteen years ago when we ...
By Yolanda Ariadne Collins, author of Forests of Refuge: Decolonizing Environmental Governance in the Amazonian Guiana ShieldThis essay was originally published on The Conversation.Illegal mining for critical minerals needed for the global renewable energy transition is increasingly driving deforest...
Each year, thousands of youth endure harrowing unaccompanied and undocumented migrations across Central America and Mexico to the United States in pursuit of a better future. Drawing on the firsthand narratives of migrant youth in Los Angeles, California, Stephanie L. Canizales shows that while a lu...
By Sarah Hupp Williamson, author of Criminology Explains Human TraffickingJuly 30th is the UN-recognized World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, while January 11th is the US-recognized National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Both days center on bringing attention and education to the public abou...
By Derek Hyra, author of Slow and Sudden Violence: Why and When Uprisings OccurApril 29, 1992: I am in Harlem, preparing for my AAU basketball team practice in Riverside Church’s basement. As I am warming up, my coach suggests I leave immediately. He had heard unrest was likely to erupt on 125th Str...
By Hatim Rahman, author of Inside the Invisible Cage: How Algorithms Control Workers
It was barely a decade ago that many of us became enamored by the “gig” economy. Booking a room, ride, or restaurant took seconds and could be done at virtually any time or place.
A major factor ena...
By Stacy Torres, author of At Home in the City: Growing Old in Urban America
I never planned to study older adults. Old places that survived waves of gentrification initially fascinated me, as a lifelong New Yorker who had struggled to make ends meet and mourned the loss of beloved ...