The Conversation

From ‘40 acres and a mule’ to LBJ to the 2020 election, a brief history of slavery reparation promises

Written by John Torpey, Presidential Professor of Sociology and History, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Several 2020 presidential candidates have called for reparations for slavery in the U.S.AP Photo/Douglas Healey

Does the United States owe descendants of slaves reparations?

It’s a question being asked more frequently of Democrats running for the 2020 presidential nomination. Many have expressed varying degrees of support for reparations,...

Measles outbreaks show legal challenges of balancing personal rights and public good

Written by Katherine Drabiak, Assistant Professor, University of South Florida

Signs in Rockland County, New York telling people about free vaccines in an effort to curb the measles outbreak there. Seth Wenig/AP Photo

The measles outbreaks continue to spread, with New York City declaring a public health emergency and requiring people in four ZIP codes to have their children vaccinated or face penalties, including a fine of...

Brexit is a rejection of the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland

Written by Kimberly Cowell-Meyers, Assistant Professor, Department of Government, American University School of Public Affairs

Signs of protest along the Irish border. AP Photo/Peter Morrison

The European Union has offered U.K. lawmakers more time to agree on a Brexit plan. Why is the extension needed?

Theresa May’s plan to exit the European Union has failed to pass the British Parliament three times. Some have blamed party disunity or May’s mishandling of...

A thousand years ago, the Catholic Church paid little attention to homosexuality

Written by Lisa McClain, Professor of History and Gender Studies, Boise State University

Pope Francis has spoken openly about homosexuality. In a recent interview, the pope said that homosexual tendencies “are not a sin.” And a few years ago, in comments made during an in-flight interview, he said,

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

However, the pope has also...

When people downsize to tiny houses, they adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles

Written by Maria Saxton, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Planning and Design, Virginia Tech

Tiny houses on display in Portland, Oregon in 2017.Dan David Cook/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

Interest is surging in tiny homes – livable dwelling units that typically measure under 400 square feet. Much of this interest is driven by media coverage that claims that living in tiny homes is good for the planet.

It may seem intuitively obvious that...

How a 'missing' movement made gun control a winning issue

Written by Aimee Huff, Assistant Professor, Marketing, Oregon State University

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler shakes hands with Aalayah Eastmond, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, during a hearing on guns violence at Capitol Hill on Feb. 6, 2019. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Thirty-three Republicans and all but one Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to...

Michelle Obama is a surprise textbook example of how women thrive and grow through adulthood

Written by Ruthellen Josselson, Professor of Psychology, Fielding Graduate University

Michelle Obama charted her own course, prioritizing what she values.AP Photo/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisThe individual story told in the former first lady’s bestselling memoir is emblematic of the best-case version of women’s development and fulfillment.Penguin Random House

Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” can be read in many...

Data show how American mothers balance work and family

Written by Alexandra Killewald, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University

Many American mothers say part-time work would be ideal. Halfpoint/shutterstock.com

Almost 70% of American mothers with children under 18 work for pay.

But motherhood remains disruptive for many women’s work lives. American women earn almost 20% less per hour than their male peers, in part because women disproportionately take responsibility...

8 things you may not know about Leonardo da Vinci, on the 500th anniversary of his death

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Larger than life even 500 years ago, Leonardo's legend has grown over the centuries.Hunter Bliss Images/Shutterstock.com

This year marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. Widely considered one of the greatest polymaths in human history, Leonardo was an inventor, artist, musician, architect, engineer, anatomist, botanist,...

74 screens of legalese don't protect your data – here's a blueprint for new laws that could make a difference

Written by Fred H. Cate, Distinguished Professor and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law, Indiana University

Companies and governments have massive amounts of data about many people.Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

All over the world, government officials are trying to figure out how to craft laws and regulations about privacy – especially for digital data and online activity. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation took effect in...