The Conversation

House approval of debt ceiling deal a triumph of the political center

Written by Matt Harris, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Park University

The U.S. Capitol, where on May 31, 2023, the House passed a debt limit deal on a bipartisan vote.AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Talking with a friend about the debt ceiling negotiations, I mentioned that there were incentives for centrists in Congress to cobble together a deal. My friend said, incredulously, “Do we actually have centrists in...

US Army Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas' journey from enslaver to Union officer to civil rights defender

Written by Christopher Justin Einolf, Associate Professor of Sociology, Northern Illinois University

Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, who fought for the Union army during the Civil War, stands in uniform for a photo. Heritage Images/ Hulton Archive

As Southern states tear down Confederate statues and the military removes the names of Confederate generals from bases, the issue of how to remember the Civil War is increasingly prominent.

Are white...

Drone strikes hit Moscow and Kyiv -- in the growing world of drone warfare, anything goes when it comes to international law

Written by Tara Sonenshine, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in Public Diplomacy, Tufts University

Russian security forces take measures near a damaged site following a drone strike on May 30, 2023. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

At least eight drone strikes hit Moscow in the early morning of May 30, 2023, damaging several buildings and injuring civilians.

This follows Russia’s targeting residential buildings in Ukraine with...

To have better disagreements, change your words – here are 4 ways to make your counterpart feel heard and keep the conversation going

Written by Julia Minson, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Showing you're listening is a critical part of fraught discussions.Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Your 18-year-old daughter announces she’s in love, dropping out of college and moving to Argentina. Your yoga-teaching brother refuses to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and is confident that fresh air is the best medicine. Your boss...

Summer reading: 5 books that explore LGBTQ teen and young adult life

Written by Jonathan Alexander, Professor of English and Gender & Sexuality Studies, University of California, Irvine

Coming of age brings new challenges for central characters who are discovering their own sexuality.Chris Hackett via Getty Images

In recognition of LGBT Pride Month, The Conversation reached out to Jonathan Alexander – an English professor with a scholarly interest in the interplay between sexuality and literature – for recommendations...

What is Theravada Buddhism? A scholar of Asian religions explains

Written by Brooke Schedneck, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Rhodes College

A prayer altar in the main gathering hall at the temple Wat Ratchapradit in Bangkok, Thailand. Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Theravada, which means “the way of the elders,” is one of the two main schools of Buddhism. Its adherents consider Theravada to be the most authoritative branch because they believe...

Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

Written by Alejandro Nava, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Arizona

Puerto Rican singer Residente performs in Havana in 2010. His back reads, 'We receive flowers and bullets in the very same heart.'STR/AFP via Getty Images

As a first-generation college graduate and a Latino from a family that constantly scrambled to make ends meet, there was very little in my upbringing that foreshadowed my current life as a...

Cytomegalovirus lies dormant in most US adults and is the leading infectious cause of birth defects, but few have heard of it

Written by Laura Gibson, Associate Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

Cytomegalovirus belongs to the same virus family, _Herpesviridae_, as cold sores and chickenpox.Callista Images/Image Source via Getty Images

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this virus?” is a frequent response I hear from parents upon learning their newborn is infected with cytomegalovirus, or CMV. Although more than half of the...

How the sounds of 'Succession' shred the grandeur and respect the characters so desperately try to project

Written by Delia Casadei, Assistant Professor of Music, University of California, Berkeley

While the Roy siblings are shielded by their wealth, the show's music chips away at their armor.Macall Polay/HBO

HBO’s “Succession” delivered its grand finale on May 28, 2023 – the climax of four award-packed seasons of searing put-downs, nihilistic humor and desperate power plays.

The show tells the story of ailing media...

Amid fears of Chinese influence, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has grown more powerful

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, & Interim Head, Department of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology

Business deals by foreign countries in the U.S. can be reviewed by the government for national security risks.Jason Leung for Unsplash, CC BY-SA

A Chinese private equity firm, Primavera Capital Group, acquired the well-known test preparation company Princeton Review and an online learning platform, Tutor.com, in May 2023.

The move, like other...