The Conversation

Japan's gender-bending history

Written by Jennifer Robertson, Professor of Anthropology and Art History, University of Michigan

Genking, a male-born Japanese TV personality and 'genderless' pioneer. _genking_/Instagram

I’m an anthropologist who grew up in Japan and has lived there, off and on, for 22 years. Yet every visit to Tokyo’s Harajuku District still surprises me. In the eye-catching styles modeled by fashion-conscious young adults, there’s a...

Reprintable paper becomes a reality

Written by Yadong Yin, Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside

Achievement unlocked: Rewritable paper.Yadong Yin, CC BY-ND

Since its invention around 100 B.C. in China, paper as a material for spreading information has greatly contributed to the development and spread of civilization. Even in today’s information age, with electronic media omnipresent in homes, offices and even our pockets, paper still...

Donald Trump and Andrew Jackson: More in common than just populism

Written by Billy J. Stratton, Professor of contemporary American literature and culture; Native American studies, University of Denver

At President Donald Trump’s request, a portrait of former President Andrew Jackson now hangs in the Oval Office. Commentators have cast Trump’s populist appeal and inaugural address as “Jacksonian,” while others have tried to emphasize their major differences. One writer lauded Jackson as “the president who, more than...

Culling sharks won't protect surfers

Written by George Burgess, Director, Florida Program for Shark Research and Coordinator of Museum Operations, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

In sharks' territory.Warm Winds Surf Shop/Flickr, CC BY

The warm and productive waters of La Réunion, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, are home to many types of tropical sea life, including apex predators such as sharks. Eight fatal shark attacks on humans have occurred there since 2011. After a body boarder was killed by a...

How the NEA's measly millions keep America's museums alive

Written by Robert Ekelund, Eminent Scholar and Professor of Economics Emeritus, Auburn University

Some politicians have never made a secret of their desire to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as its companion agency the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Each of these agencies have traditionally been regarded as bastions of “liberalism,” making them...

America has not always been as welcoming to refugees as we think

Written by Allen Wells, Professor of History, Director of Latin American Studies Program, Bowdoin College

World War II poster. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

President Trump’s executive order to sharply restrict immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries has been decried by many as reckless, punitive and even unconstitutional. Nearly half the electorate, however, applaud the president for suspending immigration even...

Do you know what the Affordable Care Act does? Here's a primer to help

Written by Darius Lakdawalla, Quintiles Professor of Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation, University of Southern California

A screen shot of open enrollment for 2017 Obamacare plans. Open enrollment is now closed, and opponents hope it will be closed forever. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare,” has generated controversy from its inception. Republicans vow to repeal it. Democrats vow to defend it. Yet, unfortunately,...

Can the black press stay relevant?

Written by Bill Celis, Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

A 1941 photograph depicts the Chicago Defender's linotype operators.Wikimedia Commons

Mattie Smith Colin was a seasoned reporter for the Chicago Defender when the newspaper sent her to cover the return of Emmett Till’s body. The 14-year-old Chicago native, who was visiting relatives in the Mississippi Delta, had been brutally beaten and shot...

The Democratic Party is facing a demographic crisis

Written by Musa al-Gharbi, Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow in Sociology, Columbia University

Will voters of the future swing left or right?Cropped from joebeone/flickr, CC BY

In 2008, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama outperformed his predecessors John Kerry and Al Gore with virtually every single demographic group, handily defeating his Republican rival John McCain.

This success spread to down-ballot races as well. Democrats...

Why farmers and ranchers think the EPA Clean Water Rule goes too far

Written by Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University

Prairie potholes in South Dakota are important breeding and feeding areas for many types of birds. Under the Clean Water Rule, farmers cannot fill them in or discharge pollutants into them without a permit.Laura Hubers, USFWS/Flickr, CC BY

President Trump issued an executive order Feb. 28 directing federal agencies to revise the Clean Water Rule, a...