The Conversation

Why the Al-Aqsa Mosque has often been a site of conflict

Written by Ken Chitwood, Lecturer, Concordia College New York | Journalist-fellow, USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, Concordia College New York

Muslims pray at the Mihrab, a niche in a wall indicating the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, at the Foundation Stone, located under the Dome of the Rock in the Al- Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City.Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images

The violence that spread from Jerusalem to cities across Israel and the Palestinian territories, leaving at...

Judge rejects NRA's bankruptcy bid, allowing New York's lawsuit against the gun group to proceed: 5 questions answered

Written by Lindsey Simon, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Georgia

Litigation against the gun group, which had been on hold, may now proceed.Zach D. Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A federal judge in Dallas said on May 11, 2021 that he was dismissing the National Rifle Association’s bankruptcy case after finding that the gun group did not file it “in good faith.” The NRA filed for bankruptcy on...

Teeth of fallen soldiers hold evidence that foreigners fought alongside ancient Greeks, challenging millennia of military history

Written by Katherine Reinberger, Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, University of Georgia

The ruins of the Temple of Victory in Himera, which was constructed to commemorate the first battle in 480 B.C.Katherine Reinberger, CC BY-ND

Ancient historians loved to write about warfare and famous battles. While these millennia-old stories still feed modern imaginations – Homer’s “Iliad” provides the plot for the movie...

What American farmers could gain by rejoining the Asia-Pacific trade deal that Trump spurned

Written by Andrew Muhammad, Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement covers a broad range of goods and services, including food safety standards. Simon Fanger/Unsplash, CC BY-SA

The Biden administration has an opportunity to recalibrate American global trade by rejoining the influential Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Signing on to this partnership has the potential...

Pregnant women's brains show troubling signs of stress – but feeling strong social support can break those patterns

Written by Rebecca Brooker, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University

Just feeling that there's someone out there she can count on can help a mom-to-be.d3sign/Moment via Getty Images

Even before the pandemic, there was plenty for expectant mothers to worry about. Pregnant women must withstand a barrage of arguably well-intentioned, but often hyperbolic, warnings about their health and what’s to come, including...

President Biden's plan for free universal preschool – 5 questions answered

Written by Christina J. Weiland, Associate Professor of Education, University of Michigan

High-quality preschools are both play-based and academic.Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

From New York City to Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma to Colorado, a handful of U.S. cities and states have opted to fund universal preschool for their youngest residents. That benefit may soon be available to every 3-year-old and...

Agnolotti, bucatini and the innovative new 'cascatelli' – a brief history of pasta shapes

Written by Jeffrey Miller, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, Colorado State University

There are hundreds of varying shapes of pasta. AngiePhotos/E+ via Getty Images

There are at least 350 shapes of pasta you can buy. Food blogger Dan Pashman apparently thought we could use one more.

Enter cascatelli – which means “waterfall” in Italian – the world’s newest pasta shape. Pashman developed the shape to...

How America’s partisan divide over pandemic responses played out in the states

Written by Julie VanDusky-Allen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have widened the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans on health care. John M. Lund Photography/Getty Images

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a partisan divide has existed over the appropriate government response to the public health crisis. Democrats have been more likely to favor stricter policies such...

Domestic violence isn't about just physical violence – and state laws are beginning to recognize that

Written by Lisa Aronson Fontes, Senior Lecturer, Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Intimate partner abuse isn't about just physical violence. It's about domination and control. Malte Mueller/Getty Images

Three or more U.S. women are murdered every day by their current or former intimate partner.

That may in part be due to a failure of state laws to capture the full range of behavior that constitutes domestic abuse. The law...

Myanmar's anti-coup protesters defy rigid gender roles – and subvert stereotypes about women to their advantage

Written by Ei Hlaing, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, University of Lynchburg

Young women are on the front lines of the anti-coup protesters in Myanmar, defying traditional gender roles. STR/AFP via Getty Images

One of the first signs of the military coup that overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected civilian government was a Facebook Live video of regional lawmaker Pa Pa Han being arrested, which was posted by her...