The Conversation

Debates about Columbus’ Spanish Jewish ancestry are not new − the claim was once a bid for social acceptance

Written by Devin Naar, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies and Chair of the Sephardic Studies Program, University of Washington

'Landing of Columbus,' by John Vanderlyn.Architect of the Capitol via Wikimedia Commons

In connection to Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day, media from the BBC and Fox to Reuters and Haaretz reported on new DNA evidence about the holiday’s original namesake. According to research revealed in a recent Spanish documentary, Christopher...

Student-athletes find more power in the changing legal landscape of college sports

Written by Joshua Lens, Associate Professor of Instruction of Sport & Recreation Management, University of Iowa

Money disputes abound between players and universities. Aksonov/E+ via Getty Images

Ever since the NCAA permitted college athletes to get paid by companies that use their names, images and likenesses, athletes have tested the limits of their increasing power.

One of the latest examples is Matthew Sluka, the starting quarterback for UNLV’s...

From Confederate general to Cherokee heritage: Why returning the name Kuwohi to the Great Smoky Mountains matters

Written by Seth T. Kannarr, PhD Student in Geography, University of Tennessee

View from the overlook on Kuwohi of the mountain peaks and ridges of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Getty Images

It’s not every day that the name of a mountain is restored to the one used by Indigenous peoples for centuries.

But after nearly two years of trying, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians finally convinced the U.S. Board on...

Foreign countries are helping autocracies repress exiled dissidents in return for economic gain

Written by Rebecca Cordell, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

Governments, even democratic ones, are willing to aid autocracies in silencing exiled dissidents if the host nation thinks it’s in its economic interest.

That is what we found when looking into cases of transnational repression – the act of governments reaching across their national border to repress diasporas and exiles – from...

Horror movies are as much a mainstay of Halloween as trick or treat − but why are they so bloody?

Written by James Francis, Jr., Instructional Associate Professor, Texas A&M University

Horror movies are plentiful in 2024, and plenty bloody. The year has seen the release of films awash in blood, such as “Immaculate,” “The First Omen” and “The Strangers.” With Halloween on the way, bloody offerings are streaming, in theaters and running in marathons on cable.

Watch them, and you’ll likely...

Why is Halloween spending growing when Americans are supposedly cutting back?

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University

Of course you can buy an evil clown at Home Depot.Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Halloween was once a time of both tricks and treats. Lately, Halloween has become one big treat for businesses, with consumers spending an estimated US$11.6 billion on this one-night holiday. That’s roughly the same amount of money as Americans spend on...

Florida’s new condo laws recognize the total price of living on the beach

Written by Bill Hughes, Research Director, Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center, University of Florida

Repairing high-rise condos like this one in Miami Beach can cost millions.Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Nearly a million Florida condo owners face an important deadline at the end of the year. That’s when a law passed in 2022 requires most Florida condo associations to submit inspection reports for their buildings...

Doctors are preoccupied with threats of criminal charges in states with abortion bans, putting patients’ lives at risk

Written by Sophie Bjork-James, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University

The study took place in Tennessee, a state that has had a near-total ban on abortions since 2022.Anchiy/E+ via Getty Images

Abortion bans are intended to reduce elective abortions, but they are also affecting the way physicians practice medicine.

That is the key finding from our recently published article in the journal Social Science & Medicine...

Expanding abortion access strengthens democracy, while abortion bans signal broader repression − worldwide study

Written by Alison Brysk, Professor of Political Science and Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Abortion is on the agenda not just in the United States but worldwide.

A majority of people in developed democracies increasingly favor abortion rights and self-determination. And, in most places, laws are shifting to reflect public opinion. Since 2020, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, among others, have legalized abortion. In 2024, France adopted...

Is America ready for a woman president? Voters’ attitudes to women politicians are radically different from a decade ago

Written by Angela L. Bos, Dean and Professor, School of Public Service, Boise State University, Boise State University

Voters hold clear and positive stereotypes of women politicians − while they don't think as positively about men in politics. Artis777/iStock/Getty Images

If U.S. voters elect Kamala Harris – a Black, Asian American woman – president, it would be historic on multiple levels. This is now a real possibility due to voters’...