Matrix On Point
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Event Date: November 5th, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm
Matrix on Point: Propaganda Machines
AI is an increasingly powerful force in the current U.S. landscape of knowledge, mis- or disinformation, media, and politics. This panel will bring together scholars who examine questions related to AI, influence, and information in journalism, media, and California’s universities to discuss the implications of these developments for information and knowledge politics today. Featuring Maty Bohacek, Martha Kenney, Martha Lincoln, and Edward Wasserman, with moderation by Cori Hayden.
Learn More >Panel
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Event Date: November 12th, 2026
4:00pm
California and the Nation Vote: A Post-Mortem on the 2026 Midterm Election
On Thursday, November 12th, the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) presents "California and the Nation Vote: A Post-Mortem on the 2026 Election," to be held at the IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall, #2370. Nine days after Election Day, two moderated panels will examine the results through this year's theme: maps, money, and the movements reshaping the parties.
Learn More >Book Talk
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Event Date: November 23rd, 2026
3:30pm-5:00pm
Unsettling Sovereignty: International Law, Nuclear Weapons, and US Extraterritorial Power in Postwar Oceania
Register to attend a November 23 book talk by Mary Mitchell, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers Newark. Mitchell’s work centers on the intersections of science and technology with law and environmental social movements in the nuclear era. This event will be held in 223 Philosophy Hall.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
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Event Date: November 24th, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm
Until the Last Ton: Fossil Fuels in India from Empire to the Climate Crisis
This Authors Meet Critics panel will focus on the book "Until the Last Ton: Fossil Fuels in India from Empire to the Climate Crisis," by Matthew Shutzer, Assistant Professor of History at UC Berkeley — the first history of fossil fuels in colonial and post-colonial South Asia. Professor Shutzer will be joined in conversation by Youjin Chung and Daniel Aldana Cohen, with Michael Watts moderating.
Learn More >Matrix Teach-In
Recap
Published November 2, 2026
Desmond Jagmohan: “Two Concepts of Patriotism: Nationalist and Civic”
Social Science Matrix hosted a lecture by Desmond Jagmohan, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley, that focused on the distinctions between nationalist from civic patriotism. The lecture was delivered as part of the Matrix Teach-In series, which brings some of UC Berkeley’s most engaging social science lecturers into a public setting.
Learn More >New Directions
Recap
Published November 1, 2026
New Directions: Green Transitions
The transition to a low-carbon economy is reshaping how societies produce and consume energy, with far-reaching implications for technology, industry, policy, and everyday life. Recorded on October 14, 2026, this panel brought together advanced graduate students from UC Berkeley whose research examines the forces shaping green energy transitions around the world.
Learn More >Recap
Published October 26, 2026
Norma Alarcón: “Forced by Circumstance: A Chicana Feminist Journey (1981–2024)”
Recorded on October 15, 2026, this video features a conversation with Norma Alarcón, Professor Emerita of Chicanx Latinx Studies at UC Berkeley, a groundbreaking Chicana theorist and feminist scholar. The conversation was presented by the Latinx Research Center and focused on the book "Forced by Circumstance: A Chicana Feminist Journey (1981–2024)."
Learn More >California Spotlight
Recap
Published October 14, 2026
California Spotlight: Wealth & Poverty
California is one of the wealthiest states in the country, yet it also faces persistent poverty, stark economic inequality, and some of the highest costs of living in the nation. Recorded on October 7, 2026, this panel brought together leading scholars to examine the forces shaping wealth and poverty across the state. Featuring David Grusky and Samuel Trachtman, with Evan White moderating.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published October 14, 2026
Authors Meet Critics: “Demos: How the People Ruled Athens”
Recorded on October 1, 2026, this video (and podcast) features an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book "Demos: How the People Ruled Athens," by Daniela Cammack, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley. With comments by James Porter and Kinch Hoekstra. Moderated by Dylan Riley.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published September 22, 2026
Normalizing Inequality: How Californians Make Sense of the Growing Divide
Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our Authors Meet Critics panel on "Normalizing Inequality: How Californians Make Sense of the Growing Divide," by UC Berkeley scholars G. Cristina Mora, Professor of Sociology, and Tianna Paschel, Associate Professor of African American Studies.
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