California Spotlight
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Event Date: September 24th, 2025
4:00pm-5:30pm
California Spotlight: Tech Authoritarianism
The rise of powerful tech entities and the rapid advancement of digital technologies are giving way to new forms of control, raising concerns about tech authoritarianism and its impact on democratic processes and communities. This panel will bring together experts to delve into the manifestations of tech authoritarianism, with a particular focus on its emergence and implications within California. The panel will include Elijah Baucom, Finn Brunton, and Lee Crandall, with James Holston moderating.
Learn More >Lecture
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Event Date: August 27th, 2025
4:00pm-5:30pm
Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature by Alyssa Battistoni
In this lecture, political theorist Alyssa Battistoni, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, draws from her newly released book, "Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature," which posits a new theory for understanding contemporary ecological breakdown and the core dynamics of capital accumulation behind it. Battistoni has research interests in environmental and climate politics, feminism, Marxist thought, political economy, and the history of political thought.
Learn More >New Directions
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Event Date: October 1st, 2025
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM PT
New Directions: Borderlands
Borders reflect the many social, historical, and political forces that shape global movement and identity. While borders often suggest fixed lines of division, the experiences within and around them increasingly influence national and global understandings of belonging, sovereignty, and human rights. This panel brings together a group of UC Berkeley graduate students from the fields of history, sociology, and ethnic studies for a discussion on borders and their impact, particularly through the lens of migration, mobility, and resistance across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
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Event Date: October 15th, 2025
12:00pm-1:30pm
Patrice Douglass, “Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence”
Please join us on October 15 from 12-1:30pm for an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence, by Patrice Douglass, Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley. Professor Douglass will be joined in conversation by Salar Mameni, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and Henry Washington, Jr., Assistant Professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley. Courtney Desiree Morris, Associate Professor of Gender and Womens Studies at UC Berkeley, will moderate.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
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Event Date: October 27th, 2025
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM PT
Matrix on Point: Conspiracy Theories
Drawing on diverse academic perspectives, this panel discussion will explore the nature of conspiracy theories, their societal implications, and how they are understood and addressed. The panel will feature Michael M Cohen, Associate Professor of American Studies and African American Studies at UC Berkeley, and Tim Tangherlini, Professor in the Department of Scandanavian and the School of Information at UC Berkeley. Lakshmi Sarah, journalist and lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, will moderate.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
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Event Date: November 3rd, 2025
4:00pm-5:30pm
Matrix on Point: Spaces for Thriving
Physical spaces profoundly influence community well-being. Understanding this relationship is crucial for leveraging planning and policy to foster equitable outcomes. This panel brings together experts to explore how thoughtful planning and strategic policy can shift power toward communities, creating conditions where all can thrive. This discussion will bridge diverse perspectives on environmental conservation, design psychology, and disability studies to illuminate steps toward more just and inclusive environments.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
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Event Date: November 13th, 2025
4:00pm-5:15pm
Financializing Disaster: Insurance and the Climate Crisis
The technical world of insurance is a critical lens through which to understand the escalating crises in climate change and housing. As climate risks intensify, both public and private homeowner insurance markets face unprecedented pressure, revealing the interconnections between housing affordability, wealth inequality, and the broader financialization of our communities. This panel brings together experts from diverse disciplines — including Stephen Collier, Desiree Fields, and Dave Jones — to explore the intersection of insurance, housing, and climate.
Learn More >Matrix News
Research Teams
Published July 10, 2025
Matrix Welcomes New Research Teams for 2025-2026
Social Science Matrix is proud to welcome eight new Matrix Research Teams — three faculty-led teams and five graduate student-led teams — for the 2025-2026 academic year. Matrix Research Teams are groups of scholars who gather regularly to explore or develop a novel question or emerging field in the social sciences. The teams convene participants […]
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published June 12, 2025
Technology and China in the New Political Economy
Recorded on April 18, 2025, this Matrix on Point panel brought together experts of the Chinese political economy and law and society in a conversation to discuss the political, economic, security, and social dimensions and complexities of technology in China’s internationalization during times of global tensions. The panel featured Mark Dallas, Roselyn Hsueh, and Rachel E. Stern; it was moderated and chaired by AnnaLee Saxenian.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published June 12, 2025
Governing Giants: Law, Politics, and Antitrust
Recorded on April 25, 2025, this panel brought together scholars of political science, economics, and law to discuss the changing landscape of antitrust policy in an era of multinational corporations. Moderated by Ryan Brutger, the panel included Amy Pond (Washington University St. Louis, Political Science), Prasad Krishnamurthy (UC Berkeley, Law), and Michael Allen (Stanford, Political Science).
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Recap
Published May 20, 2025
150 Years of Border Control: The Legacy of the 1875 Page Act
Recorded on April 23, 2025, this panel marked the 150th anniversary of the Page Act of 1875, one of the first federal laws to restrict immigration to the United States — especially Asian immigration, as the law prohibited the importation of Asian contract workers, prostitutes (a provision targeted against Chinese women), and criminals.
Learn More >Matrix News
Iris Hui Memorial Fund
Published May 19, 2025
Ethnic Studies PhD Student Receives Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship
Irene Franco Rubio, a doctoral student in the UC Berkeley Department of Ethnic Studies, has been selected to receive the 2025 Dr. Iris Hui Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship. Irene is a first-generation scholar-activist whose research explores multiracial coalition-building, grassroots resistance, and social movement histories in the U.S. Southwest.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published May 14, 2025
Matrix on Point: The New Gender Gap
New research reveals a growing gender gap in attitudes across a range of topics, particularly striking among younger generations. Recorded on April 7, 2025, this panel brought together experts to discuss the contours and complexities of this “new gender gap” and explore its ramifications for politics, demography, and societal cohesion.
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