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Congratulations to Adam Dahl on publication of his article "Beyond the Anglo-American Word: Settler Colonialism and Democracy in the Americas" which explores the reciprocal influences of English and Spanish colonial ideologies and imaginaries circulating in the Western hemisphere through the roughly writings of Alexis de Tocqueville, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and Lorenzo de Zavala on their 19th century travels in the USA. (Polity, Vol. 55, No. 2)

Paul M. Collins, Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science publishes " Constructing the Supreme Court: How Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Have Affected Presidential Selection and Senate Confirmation Hearings" in Polity (Vol. 55, No. 2).

Donny has been awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship that will provide him with 3 years of funding for his graduate studies. In the words of the award notification, "Being chosen as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow is a significant national accomplishment and places you among an elite group of Fellows, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers."
Thanks to his mentor, Alex Theodoridis, for relaying the great news. You can send congratulations to Donny via desnyder@umass.edu

The Center for Justice, Law, and Societies (CJLS) invites applications for 4–6 Graduate Fellow positions for academic year 2022–23. CJLS is an interdisciplinary group of scholars focusing on the creation, implementation, and real-world applications of law. We welcome applications from graduate students in all colleges at UMass Amherst who have a strong interest in further exploring the legal dimensions of their own work (e.g., law and history, law and psychology, law and social science, law and literature, law and public health, law and environment, law and science, law and technology, etc.). Fellows will serve a one-year term that prioritizes professionalization and mentorship; this fellowship does not not take the place of a full time TAship or RAship. Read more

Associate Professor Jamie Rowen's new article on MA Treatment Court Adapation to COVD-19 is now out for first view in Law and Social Inquiry. This article was written with the assistance of former graduate students Alexandria Nylen and Catie Fowler, who conducted 81 interviews with treatment court personnel in the summer of 2020 to create the first comprehensive account of how treatment courts responded to state shutdowns. The findings illustrate how these courts adapted and, in the process, personnel shifted their understandings of surveiillance and sanctions. (Law and Social Inquiry, Cambridge University Press, 3/30/23) 

Raymond La Raja, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the UMass Amherst Poll, is quoted in a roundup of regional experts’ views of the criminal indictment of former president Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury. “It is a historic moment,” La Raja says. “Politically speaking, I’m not sure (the New York indictment) is the best path to hold Trump accountable. It packs a punch. It clearly affects citizens and their constitutional rights.” (MassLive, 3/30/23)

Tatishe Nteta, professor of political science and director of the UMass Poll, says polling shows “a steady majority” of Massachusetts residents approve of the job performance of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who announced her bid for a third term yesterday. (GBH , 3/27/23)

Tatishe Nteta, professor of political science and director of the UMass Poll, comments on what polling reveals about Americans’ opposition to paying reparations to descendants of enslaved people. “The reason why they oppose reparations is because they don't believe the descendants of slaves deserve reparations. So this is not a question of logistics or economics. It's a question of deservedness,” he says. (NPR, 3/27/23) 
A columnist writing about slavery cites a UMass poll from last year finding that only 28% of whites in America support the idea of reparations for descendants of enslaved Blacks. (Hampshire Gazette , 3/10/23; News Office release)

Peter Haas, professor emeritus of political science, has written an opinion piece looking at the intricacies of the debate over providing reparations to the descendants of slaves. “Current efforts by Amherst and Northampton appear to go beyond performative politics through the creation of committees to develop policies for implementing reparations locally,” he writes. “As with most ethical arguments, the devil is in the details of their application. There is precedent for reparations. Post-World War II Germany paid out sizable reparations to surviving Jews for lost earnings. The U.S. offered paltry and delayed reparations to Japanese Americans interned during World War II. Evanston, Illinois and Asheville, North Carolina have committed funds under reparations plans for African Americans, although their amounts are relatively small.” (Gazette, 3/13/23)

 

Alexander Theodoridis, political science, is quoted in an opinion column about Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election. Theodoridis says, “Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016 was a stress test for Republican partisanship, and Republican partisanship passed with flying colors. The election was close enough for Trump to win because the vast majority of G.O.P. voters found the idea of either sitting it out or voting for a Democrat they had spent 20+ years disliking so distasteful that Trump’s limitations, liabilities and overt racism and misogyny were not a deal-breaker.” (The New York Times , 3/22/23)

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