Book Talk
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Event Date: May 5th, 2026
4:00pm-5:15pm
The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us
Join us on May 5 for a talk on "The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us," by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. The conversation will be moderated by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of Social Science Matrix.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
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Event Date: April 29th, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm
POSTPONED: Normalizing Inequality: How Californians Make Sense of the Growing Divide
In their new book, "Normalizing Inequality," sociologists G. Cristina Mora and Tianna S. Paschel illuminate how middle-class Californians perceive and come to accept the inequalities that surround them. At this Authors Meet Critics event, Professors Mora and Paschel will be joined in conversation by Desmond Jagmohan and Lisa García Bedolla, with Nicholas Vargas moderating.
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Recap
Published April 23, 2026
Incommunicable: Toward Communicative Justice in Health and Medicine
Recorded on April 9, 2026, this Authors Meet Critics panel features the book Incommunicable: Toward Communicative Justice in Health and Medicine, by Charles Briggs, the Alan Dundes Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, co-director and graduate advisor of the UCB-UCSF Joint PhD Program in Medical Anthropology, and co-director of the […]
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Recap
Published April 23, 2026
The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World
Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our Authors Meet Critics panel on the book "The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World," by Trevor Jackson, Associate Professor of History at UC Berkeley. Professor Jackson was joined in conversation by Chenzi Xu and Dylan Riley, with Abhishek Kaicker moderating.
Learn More >Matrix News
Iris Hui Memorial Fund
Published April 23, 2026
History PhD Student Receives Iris Hui Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship
Vincent P. Tran, a PhD student in the Department of History at UC Berkeley, has been selected to receive the scholarship, which honors the vision and goals of Dr. Iris Hui, a PhD graduate of Political Science from UC Berkeley.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published April 23, 2026
Matrix on Point: The U.S. Dollar Hegemony in Transition
Recorded on April 8, 2026, this panel brought together scholars to examine the foundation of U.S. monetary influence and the role of financial innovation in an evolving global economy. The panel featured Barry Eichengreen, Rohan Kekre, and Chenzi Xu, with Brian Judge moderating.
Learn More >CRELS
Recap
Published April 1, 2026
Algorithms of Distinction: Class, Credit Scores, and Property in South Africa
Watch or listen to a lecture by Julien Migozzi, an economic geographer and Assistant Professor in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, examining how 21st-century class dynamics become connected with data-driven stratification systems, focusing on the digital transformation of property markets in South Africa.
Learn More >California Spotlight
Recap
Published March 3, 2026
California Spotlight: Higher Education Under Attack
Recorded on February 9, 2026, this panel brought together scholars — including Charlie Eaton, Katherine Newman, Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra, and Christopher Kutz — to examine the forces challenging public higher education today. Drawing on areas spanning finance, policy, and labor, the discussion explored how these dynamics are shaping the UC System, and what is at stake for students, employees, the public, and the future of higher education.
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