The Conversation

Militias evaluate beliefs, action as president threatens soldiers in the streets

Written by Amy Cooter, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Vanderbilt University

Members of militia groups demonstrate in Virginia in January 2020.Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images

So-called “militias” and “patriot groups” have different beliefs and viewpoints, but most of these citizen-focused organizations share a concern about government infringement on individual liberties.

In the wake of George...

What – or who – is antifa?

Written by Stanislav Vysotsky, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

A police officer pushes an antifa demonstrator out of the way during a 2019 protest in Washington, D.C.Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

The movement called “antifa” gets its name from a short form of “anti-fascist,” which is about the only thing its members agree on.

President Donald Trump and some...

Read more: What – or who – is antifa?

COVID-19's deadliness for men is revealing why researchers should have been studying immune system sex differences years ago

Written by Adam Moeser, Matilda R. Wilson Endowed Chair, Associate Professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University

Reports show that the mortality rate among men with COVID-19 is higher than women. Marco Mantovani/Getty Images

When it comes to surviving critical cases of COVID-19, it appears that men draw the short straw.

Initial reports from China revealed the early evidence of increased male mortality associated with COVID. According to the Global Health...

Coronavirus deaths and those of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery have something in common: Racism

Written by April Thames, Associate Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

In Minneapolis, the memorial near the spot where George Floyd died while in police custody. Getty Images / Kerem Yucel

The COVID-19 pandemic and the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are two major catastrophes that shine a light on longstanding social inequities and injustices toward African Americans. Emerging research in the field of social...

States are making it harder to sue nursing homes over COVID-19: Why immunity from lawsuits is a problem

Written by Tara Sklar, Professor of Health Law and Director, Health Law & Policy Program, University of Arizona

At least 21 states have taken actions within the last four months to limit the liability of health care providers related to the coronavirus.David Ramos/Getty Images

The coronavirus has devastated nursing homes across the country, killing tens of thousands of vulnerable older Americans. Nursing homes did not cause the pandemic, but poor infection...

Supreme Court phoning it in means better arguments, more public engagement

Written by Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser presenting via telephone during oral argument before the Supreme Court on May 13, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Not every effect of the pandemic has been negative: The public has been able to hear live arguments of the Supreme Court in a new format that...

Scientific fieldwork 'caught in the middle' of US-Mexico border tensions

Written by Taylor Edwards, Associate Staff Scientist, University of Arizona

The political border cuts in two a region rich in biological and cultural diversity.John Moore/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Imagine you’re a scientist, setting out camera traps to snap pictures of wildlife in a remote area of southern Arizona. You set out with your gear early in the morning, but it took longer than expected to find all...

Workplaces are turning to devices to monitor social distancing, but does the tech respect privacy?

Written by Ari Trachtenberg, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Computer Science, Boston University

Maintaining social distancing is a challenge as workplaces reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. miodrag ignjatovic/E+ via Getty Images

As we emerge from the coronavirus lockdown, those of us who still have a workplace may not recognize it. Businesses, eager to limit liability for employees and customers, are considering a variety of emerging...

What we can learn about isolation from prison artists

Written by Janie Paul, Professor Emerita of Art and Design, University of Michigan

Oliger Merko, 'Season of Love' detail, oil on canvas, 2014.Prison Creative Arts Project, Author provided

Over the past few months, most of us have found ourselves in unfamiliar territory trying to shape the formlessness of our days while contending with physical separation.

Many incarcerated people, however, have spent years figuring out what to do...

Using the military to quash protests can erode democracy – as Latin America well knows

Written by Kristina Mani, Associate Professor of Politics and Chair of Latin American Studies, Oberlin College and Conservatory

A Chilean soldier stands guard at a ransacked supermarket in Santiago, October 2019.Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on June 7 withdrew National Guard troops from Washington, D.C., but his threat to “deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem” of civil unrest following the police killing of...