Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Brower Center. The thoughtful questions and shared reflections were a reminder of how vital community conversations are. ✨

Co-sponsors: @ucberkeleyenglish.bsky.social, Arts Research Center, & Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies Program.

The history of vaccine hesitancy, from smallpox to COVID-19 - Berkeley News

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 1d

Two weeks ago, ISSI's Asian American Research Center hosted a powerful panel with @zentronix.bsky.social, @cathyparkhong.bsky.social, @terisasiagatonu.bsky.social, & Colleen Lye on writing, culture, politics, and solidarity in a rapidly shifting world.

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Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 2d

Elena Conis, faculty affiliate, explains how attitudes and federal policy about vaccines have evolved in the U.S. Conis documents how the medical advancements of vaccines altered the ways Americans perceived the very illnesses the shots could prevent. news.berkeley.edu/2025/09/26/t...

Elena Conis, a journalism and history professor at UC Berkeley, explains how attitudes and federal policy about vaccines have evolved in the U.S.

Health care isn't working for everyone. Watch a professor explain why. - Berkeley News

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 5d

Tina Sacks, Chair of the Center for Research on Social Change, explains how health disparities leave women of color, immigrants & other historically marginalized populations with shorter lifespans than their white male counterparts, in in this 101 second video. news.berkeley.edu/2025/09/18/h...

Health disparities leave women — particularly women of color, immigrants and other historically marginalized populations — with shorter lifespans than their white male counterparts.

Fall 2025 Artist in Residence with Rhummanee Hang (October 14th-16th)

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 5d

From October 14-16, @rhummanee.bsky.social is joining us for the Fall 2025 Critical Southeast Asian American Studies Artist in Residence.

UC Berkeley students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members—you won't want to miss this!

For details and to RSVP: bit.ly/Hang2025

Thank you for your interest in joining us for the Fall 2025 Critical Southeast Asian American Studies Artist in Residence with Rhummanee Hang. You can use this form to RSVP for the different events th...

The “Vicious Voter” Myth and the Racial Authoritarianism in American Law

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 6d

Join us on Tue, Oct 21, at 4 p.m. for a hybrid event with @atibaellis.bsky.social: "The 'Vicious Voter' Myth and the Racial Authoritarianism in American Law"

📍 2111 Bancroft Way, #104, Berkeley & on Zoom

Register today: bit.ly/AtibaEllis

This talk provides an account of the American vicious voter myth, examining how it gives expression to racial colorblindness and formalistic racial...

Khmae Amathak: Grounded & Guided by Ancestral Wisdom

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Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 7d

Join our hybrid event next week with @rhummanee.bsky.social!

Wed, Oct 15 at 4:30pm PT
Alumni House & via Zoom

Register: bit.ly/Rhummanee

Sponsors: Asian Pacific American Student Development, Asian American Political Activation Program, and Asian American Research Center

Rhummanee HANG will invoke the various teachings and experiences that inform her identity, art, and community organizing. Through dance and poetry,...

Geography grad student’s research examines tech authoritarianism’s impact on democracy | Letters & Science

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Reposted by Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley

Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies @ucberkeleycrws.bsky.social · 9d

In this article Lee Crandall, a grad student affiliate, states that tech authoritarians tend to view liberal democracies as inefficient & instead favor privatized technocratic governance, where private sectors make major decisions rather than politicians. ls.berkeley.edu/news/geograp...

ls.berkeley.edu

University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 12d

Asian American Research Center & Center for Research on Social Change affiliate Eos Trinidad has a new research article where he quantitatively examines what predicts anti-“CRT” & anti-LGBTQ political issues & educational disruptions in US school districts. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

www.journals.uchicago.edu

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 13d

Senior Researcher Robin Marsh led a 2 year study to assess the impact of the 1,000 Women's Gardens for Health and Nutrition intervention, which supported almost 700 vulnerable women in Uganda. A report on the study & a brief summary are available on the project webpage. issi.berkeley.edu/1000WG

Impact Study: Women-Led Organic Vegetable Gardens in Western Uganda | Institute for the Study of Societal Issues

issi.berkeley.edu

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 16d

Long Le-Khac, Asian American Research Center faculty affiliate, has published a new dataset of 1,900 entries aimed at examining which works are cited as “Asian American” in scholarly discourse. news.berkeley.edu/2025/09/16/w...

What counts as ‘Asian American literature,’ anyway? - Berkeley News

Long Le-Khac, an assistant professor of ethnic studies at UC Berkeley, just published a 1,900-entry dataset that he hopes will be used to investigate which works are discussed as “Asian American” in s...

2025 ASA Award Winners | American Sociological Association

Reposted by Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley

Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies @ucberkeleycrws.bsky.social · 19d

Carole Joffe, faculty affiliate, won the 2025 American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology. Joffe’s research & advocacy on behalf of reproductive health & rights serves as an exemplar for an impactful sociological career. www.asanet.org/about/awards...

We are pleased to introduce you to the distinguished winners of ASA’s 2025 awards. The winners will be honored in a ceremony during the Annual Meeting in

www.asanet.org

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Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 19d

You did it! 31 donors helped us raise $8,885 during our #OskiBday Bear-a-thon! With a $7,500 match from 3 incredible supporters, we reached $16,385 for mentoring at ISSI. Huge thanks to all who gave! Missed it? You can still support: bit.ly/GiveISSI
#UCBerkeleyISSI

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 20d

Emily Ozer, faculty affiliate, is co-leading a collaboration between UC Berkeley researchers and San Francisco students to investigate the causes of chronic absenteeism. Ozer explains, “It is vital to partner with students in solving the problem.” news.berkeley.edu/2025/07/07/w...

With high schoolers' help, UC Berkeley researchers investigate why so many students are chronically absent - Berkeley News

The multi-year project partners with San Francisco students to design and interpret studies exploring chronic absenteeism — and explore how young people can be part of the solution.

Newsom, Trump and How Trolling Got Co-Opted by the Powerful | KQED

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 23d

Abigail De Kosnik, ISSI affiliate, shares her expertise in this KQED news story on Newsom's new style of social media posts: "There’s a real value in speaking about politics in a vernacular language because a lot of people feel alienated from politics." www.kqed.org/news/1205485...

As the war of memes between Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump heats up, what happens when Internet humor — once a tool for Internet users to criticize the powerful — gets co-opted by those in power themse...

www.kqed.org

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 26d

⏰ We’ve got two hours left of our matching gift to celebrate #OskiBDay Help #ucberkeleyISSI continue to support peer mentoring for social change scholars. bit.ly/ISSIoski

A group of people in conversation with an image of Oski, the words Ready to Give Back?, and a QR code to link in post

Modern Endangered Archives Program

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 27d

Within the next two hours, your donation can help us win a prize! And all #BearAThon gifts to #UCBerkeleyISSI will be doubled! Help us support future generations of social change scholars. #OskiBDay Ready.. Set.. Go! bit.ly/ISSIoski

A group of people in conversation with an image of Oski, the words Support ISSI, and a QR code to link in post

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 27d

Emily Thompson, affiliate of the Center for Ethnographic Research, has received funding from UCLA Library's Modern Endangered Archives Program for her project "(Dis)appearing Images: Archiving the Peruvian Internal Armed Conflict." meap.library.ucla.edu

meap.library.ucla.edu

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 27d

ISSI Director Kurt Organista, Professor Emeritus Ian Bailey and #oski all want you to donate to help every Cal student feel at home! Your gift to #ucberkeleyissi will be matched 1:1. Support mentorship of social change scholars! bit.ly/ISSIoski
#BearAThon #OskiBDay #UCBearthechange

Two people and Oski, the UC Berkeley mascot, leaning in close together

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyissi.bsky.social · 28d

Calling all alums! Who was your mentor? Tag us in a post that says
I'm celebrating Oski's birthday by supporting #UCBerkeleyISSI
and include #OskiBday to help us win a prize! Reflect on your time at the Institute and celebrate your mentors. Gifts will be doubled! Donate → bit.ly/ISSIoski

Photo of two people pointing at each other with a sign that says “Thank you to my mentor.”

Photo of two people smiling with a sign that says Support UC Berkeley ISSI.