Dr. Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear, assistant professor of sociology and American Indian Studies at UCLA, was interviewed on missing and murdered Indigenous women by “Vice News Tonight.” This episode investigates how Indigenous women and girls go missing and are murdered at an alarming rate in the United States. Vice News visits tribal communities in Montana facing the crisis head-on.
To watch the interview, click HERE.
Dr. Vinay Lal, UCLA professor of history and Asian American Studies, takes a deep dive on the global impact of COVID-19 in his latest book, Fury of COVID-19. In this interview for the LA Social Science book series, he compares how different nation states have responded to COVID-19. He sheds light on the need for public health measures in the U.S. as well as international cooperation in order to curtail COVID. His book also addresses how social distancing complicates personal relationships. Lastly, Dr. Lal weighs in on how specifically the response in the United States has much to do with the administration’s position on climate change.
Interview Chapters:
0:04 – Intro
1:07 – What is the main point of this book?
6:39 – How did the history of countries affect their response to the pandemic?
16:13 – How do comments like “China Virus” by the administration affect international cooperation?
To learn more, check out Professor Lal’s book, Fury of COVID-19.
Subscribe to LA Social Science and be the first to learn more insight and knowledge from UCLA’s Division of Social Science experts and other faculty about upcoming video/audio sessions and posts about current issues.
Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernandez, professor of African American Studies, Thomas E. Lifka Endowed Chair in History and Urban Planning, has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board. This prize named after Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, is administered at Columbia University. Dr. Lytle Hernandez said, “I am thankful for this opportunity to work with fellow Board members in celebrating a diverse community of journalists, scholars and artists, and look forward to the work ahead.” LA Social Science would like to congratulate the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies Director.
To read the press release about Dr. Lytle Hernandez’s election to the Pulitzer Prize Board, click HERE.
Photo Credit: The Source
In his essay in The Source, Dr. Kyle T. Mays, UCLA Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History, cites last month’s Native American Heritage Month as a time “to reflect on a history of genocide, and to consider what we collectively owe to the people upon whose land we all currently live.” Dr. Mays discusses the realities of Native Americans in the United States through the lens of Native American Hip Hop (NAHH) that he describes as “one of the best representations of Native sovereignty.”
To read the full essay, click HERE.
Dr. Carla Gardina Pestana, UCLA Professor and Joyce Appleby Endowed Chair of America in the World in the Department of History, discusses the #MeToo Moment on Plymouth Plantation in an essay for “The Conversation.” Dr. Pestana points out that gender dynamics often get short shrift when reflecting on the histories of Plymouth colony.
John Blanding/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
In the essay, Dr. Pestana describes one account from her new book, The World of Plymouth Plantation. It is the story of John Lyford, who was found guilty of rape in Ireland and driven out of his community. Mr. Lyford moved on to Plymouth Plantation after being driven out, and would have continued to harm others if his past had not caught up with him.
To read the full essay, click HERE.
UCLA’s Luskin Center for History and Policy (LCHP) has continued to be a leading voice in connecting past to present. The center’s “Then & Now” podcast has tackled some of the most challenge topics of the day by connecting them to the past. As a follow-up to their last pre-election episode, Dr. Lynn Vavreck and Zev Yaroslavsky return to “Then & Now,” joined by Dr. Lorrie Frasure, to analyze the 2020 election results. They discuss a range of key topics: President Trump’s refusal to concede, the persistence of divided electorates in U.S. history, the political behavior of white men, the performance and reliability of polling, and the question of whether American democracy is dying.
To hear this informative podcast, click HERE.
On November 15, the National Lawyers Guild of Los Angeles honored the UCLA Labor Center at its annual celebration. “For over 80 years, NLG has acted as a legal arm of social justice movements, working tirelessly to defend the rights of the most marginalized communities.” Labor Center Director Kent Wong, recently appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti to the Mayor’s Advisory Council on International Affairs, was the master of ceremonies. The virtual event included a powerful program that spotlighted this year’s incredible honorees who have spent decades fighting for justice.
LA Social Science would like to congratulate Director Wong on his new appointment to the Mayor’s Advisory Council on International Affairs, and to the UCLA Labor Center for the outstanding work it does to serve the Los Angeles community.
To learn more about the NLG annual awards celebration, click HERE.
Supporting scholarship that examines a broad range of identities, values, policies and behaviors is essential to recognizing and engaging with the diversity of the human experience. The Division of Social Sciences remains steadfast in its commitment to rigorously pursuing meaningful research, and appreciates the key role graduate students play as future thought leaders.
As the end of the calendar year approaches, the Division of Social Sciences announces the launch of a new effort to raise $50,000 before December 31, 2020 for the Dean’s Fund for the Study of Diversity and Racial Inequality to support diverse graduate student scholars. This newly established fund will ensure that the Division’s graduate students are offered the resources and support necessary to more broadly examine issues of racial justice in the community and beyond.
If you are able, please join in supporting the Division’s graduate students today. To give now, click HERE.
Cheryl L. Keyes
Chair, UCLA Department of African American Studies
Professor of African American Studies, Ethnomusicology and Global Jazz Studies
invites you to attend
“Black Lives Matter – Past, Present, and Beyond” Lecture Series
featuring
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University
Friday, November 20, 2020 at 9:00am PST
Live Streaming via Zoom
Please submit your questions in advance of the webinar via email to:
hnadworny@support.ucla.edu by Thursday, November 19 at 5:00 p.m.
Instructions to join the webinar will be provided once your registration has been confirmed.
UCLA graduate student Marina Perez interviews Dr. Nancy Mithlo, UCLA Professor of Gender Studies, about her two new books, Knowing Art (University of Nebraska Press) and Making History: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (University of New Mexico Press). Dr. Mithlo discusses her extensive research with Native communities and the power and beauty of Native art.
For Tovaangar (LA Basin, So. Channel Islands) pronunciation, click HERE.
Interview Chapters:
:14 – Intro
1:41 – Contemporary Indigenous art and why it’s so important
3:24 – American Indian curatorial methodologies
6:53 – What is it like to work with and talk with our elders? Especially David Warren.
10:18 – How do you analyze the artworks?
16:15 – Any advice for artists, students, researchers during the pandemic?
Art work shared:
By the Water’s Edge (1987) bronze, Copyright Chiinde LLC (photo courtesy of Allan Houser)
Dawn (1989) bronze, Copyright Chiinde LLC (photo courtesy of Allan Houser)
To learn more, check out Professor Mithlo’s book Knowing Native Arts and Making History: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
Subscribe to L.A. Social Science and be the first to learn more insight and knowledge from UCLA’s Division of Social Science experts and other faculty about upcoming video/audio sessions and posts about current issues.
