Dear President Obama, This holiday weekend brought news of the failure of BP’s latest strategy for plugging the oil flow in the Gulf of Mexico – the ominously named “top kill.” It now seems increasingly likely that oil will continue … Continue reading “Open Letter to President Obama”
Category: News
The World Cup: Will South Africa Shine?
Eli Jelly-Schapiro
From the editors: In the lead-up to the World Cup, the first to be held in Africa, we are serializing in three parts an essay by Eli Jelly-Schapiro on the cultural politics of soccer. This essay will then be followed by a Periscope forum about the Cup. Read more.
Philosophy Department closure at Middlesex University, UK
Tariq JazeelDepressing things going on at Middlesex University in the UK following management’s crazy decision to close the Philosophy Department. After student occupations in protest, a number of students and faculty have been suspended from the University. Faculty suspended are Professor Peter Osbourne, Professor … Continue reading “Philosophy Department closure at Middlesex University, UK”
Social Text article wins award
Social Text CollectiveCongratulations to Robin Bernstein, whose article in ST 101, “Dances with Things: Material Culture and the Performance of Race” has won the Research and Publication Award from the American Theatre and Drama Society and the 2010 Association for Theater in Higher Education … Continue reading “Social Text article wins award”
On Internet Punditry and Engendering Change
Biella ColemanOne day a very well known Internet theorist writes a rant on women. The rant generates controversy, controversy lands theorist on WNYC (On the Media), despite the fact the he does not really work on the politics of gender. If … Continue reading “On Internet Punditry and Engendering Change”
collateral murder
Biella ColemanIf anyone claims that “geek” or hacker politics is x (x usually being some version of libertarianism), I wouldn’t buy it. In fact, just like any sphere and arena, geek politics are remarkably varied.
New Social Text Book on Alter-Globalization
Social Text CollectiveProtest and Organization in the Alternative Globalization Era, by Heather Gautney, details the history of the alter-globalization protests over the last decade and the attempts by various groups on the global left to build alternatives to neoliberal development through the mechanism of the World Social Forum.
A Corporation is Not a Person
Ashley DawsonTwo days ago the Supreme Court issued what is perhaps its most calamitous ruling in a century.
Seeing Haiti
Tariq JazeelThere’s so much to think about, take in, and give right now in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake that perhaps a lone blog entry like this isn’t at all suitable.
Eat the rich!
Ashley DawsonNew York governor David Paterson has just announced that he will be withholding $750 million in scheduled payments to schools and local governments across the state in response to the state’s fiscal problems. According to an article in the NYT
Santarchy is Coming to Town
Micki McGee
No one could stop the red tide that flooded across New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and San Francisco yesterday. Santacon took hold of the streets in these and other cities across the globe. With anarchist roots in the San Francisco … Continue reading “Santarchy is Coming to Town”
Time's Up?
Tavia Nyong'oAfter world leaders gathered in Copenhagen to manage climate change from above, activists and demonstrators around the world struggle to hold them accountable. Ashley Dawson introduces a new forum on climate politics.
Voices from an Absent Future
Tavia Nyong'oAudio Statement from students protesting tuition hikes at UCLA. And more footage from recent protests.
Apocalypto
Ashley DawsonToday should be remembered as the beginning of the end. According to an article in the Guardian, President Obama has acknowledged that it is now too late to secure a legally binding climate deal at the Copenhagen summit. We will … Continue reading “Apocalypto”
New from Social Text Authors
Social Text CollectiveDemocracy, States, and the Struggle for Global Justice Edited by Heather D. Gautney, Neil Smith, Omar Dahbour, Ashley Dawson. Routledge, 2009. Democracy, States, and the Struggle for Global Justice draws on the fields of geography, political theory, and cultural studies to analyze … Continue reading “New from Social Text Authors”