The Conversation

Why would people vote for Kamala Harris? 5 things to understand about why her supporters back her

Written by Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University - Newark

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Sept. 13, 2024. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Kamala Harris has the support of nearly 49% of voters, according to recent polling. Why do those people support her?

For many on the right, the support for the candidate some critics call “Comrade Kamala”...

How a newspaper revolution sparked protesters and influencers, disinformation and the Civil War

Written by Jon Grinspan, Political History Curator, Smithsonian Institution

An image from Harper's Weekly depicts the 'Grand procession of Wide-Awakes at New York on the evening of October 3, 1860.' Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

There’s one question I get every time I give a talk. I’m a curator of political history at the Smithsonian Institution, and when I discuss the deep history of...

A year ago, the hostages were a rallying point for solidarity in Israel – now, their families are symbols of the country’s sharp divides

Written by Shai P. Ginsburg, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Duke University

People in Tel Aviv protest against the Israeli government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip on Sept. 21, 2024.AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

In the run-up to the first anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, there has been no shortage of dramatic events making headlines in Israel. On Oct. 1, Israelis took shelter during Iran...

Colleges could benefit from taking a data-driven look at hostility toward Jews on campus

Written by Graham Wright, Associate Research Scientist, Maurice & Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University

In the year that has passed since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, college campuses have been embroiled in debates about the resulting conflict. A major focus of these debates has been the surge in reports of antisemitic harassment of Jewish students, with campus administrators, faculty, politicians and pundits furiously arguing over the preva...

Palestinians want to choose their own leaders – a year of war has distanced them further from this democratic goal

Written by Maha Nassar, Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona

A Palestinian university student casts a ballot in Gaza City in 2006.Abid Katib/Getty Images

Over the summer as Israel continued to bombard Gaza, representatives from 14 Palestinian factions, including the two main parties – Hamas and Fatah – met in China. Following the most inclusive talks in years, all the parties agreed to a future...

A year of escalating conflict in the Middle East has ushered in a new era of regional displacement

Written by Nicholas R. Micinski, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Maine

Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing into civil war-torn Syria from Lebanon.Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images

A year of conflict has ushered in a new era of mass displacement in the Middle East.

Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent sustained Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Israel has expanded its operations...

Dockworkers pause strike after Biden administration’s appeal to patriotism hits the mark

Written by Anna Nagurney, Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies, UMass Amherst

Port Everglades dockworkers walk a picket line while on strike on Oct. 3, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A dockworkers strike that froze operations at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports for 2½ days was paused on Oct. 3, 2024. The Conversation U.S. asked Anna Nagurney, a scholar of supply chains, to assess the extent of...

A year after Hamas attack, more continuity than change for the Palestinians and Israel

Written by Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch, Associate Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies, Suffolk University

The rapid pace of unfolding events between Israel and the Palestinians, and more broadly in the Middle East, can make people think change is inevitable.

Political scientists like me sometimes see significant and disruptive events, such as the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and their aftermath as drivers of heightened uncertainty with the po...

Some online conspiracy-spreaders don’t even believe the lies they’re spewing

Written by H. Colleen Sinclair, Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology, Louisiana State University

When people spread lies online, they may know they're sharing falsehoods.Timucin Taka/500 px via Getty Images

There has been a lot of research on the types of people who believe conspiracy theories, and their reasons for doing so. But there’s a wrinkle: My colleagues and I have found that there are a number of people sharing conspiracies...

Trees’ own beneficial microbiome could lead to discovery of new treatments to fight citrus greening disease

Written by Kateel G. Shetty, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University

Citrus is still big business in Florida, but the industry has taken a massive hit in recent decades.Joe Raedle/via Getty Images

Citrus trees showing natural tolerance to citrus greening disease host bacteria that produce novel antimicrobials that can be used to fight off the disease, our recent study shows. We found the trees at an organic farm in...