Matrix Podcast

Incommunicable: Toward Communicative Justice in Health and Medicine

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on April 9, 2026, this Authors Meet Critics panel features the book Incommunicable: Toward Communicative Justice in Health and Medicine, by C...

Authors Meet Critics: Trevor Jackson, "The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World"

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On April 7, 2026, Social Science Matrix hosted an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, b...

Matrix on Point: The U.S. Dollar Hegemony in Transition

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The global dominance of the U.S. dollar has long shaped international trade, financial markets, and geopolitical power. Amid shifting global dynamics ...

Julien Migozzi: "Algorithms of Distinction: Class, Credit Scores, and Property in South Africa"

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 18, 2026, this podcast features a lecture by Julien Migozzi, an economic geographer and Assistant Professor in Development Studies a...

California Spotlight: Higher Education Under Attack

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Higher education is facing mounting pressures, from political intervention and financial challenges to attacks on academic freedom. These tensions are...

Matrix Teach-In: Ula Taylor, "The Making of Frances M. Beal's Black Feminist House"

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on February 19, 2026, this video presents a lecture by Ula Taylor, Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies & Africa...

Matrix on Point: Corruption in America

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Corruption is a persistent challenge in America, shaping institutions, influencing policy, and eroding public trust. Understanding its roots, mechanis...

"Some College" and the Social Function of Higher Education: An Interview with Sarah Payne

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What are the economic consequences of starting, but not completing college? On this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Sarah Harrington, Program Manager a...

Alexis Madrigal: "To Know A Place"

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on December 4, 2025, this video features a Social Science Matrix Distinguished Lecture, "To Know a Place," presented by journalist and autho...

Maximilian Kasy: "The Means of Prediction: How AI Really Works (and Who Benefits)"

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

  Recorded on December 2, 2025, this video features a talk by Maximilian Kasy, Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford, presenting his boo...

Matrix Teach-In: Seth Lunine

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on November 17, 2025, this recording features a talk by Seth Lunine, Lecturer in the UC Berkeley Department of Geography, who presented a tal...

Matrix on Point: Financializing Disaster

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The technical world of insurance is a critical lens through which to understand the escalating crises in climate change and housing. As climate risks ...

Matrix on Point: Spaces for Thriving

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Physical spaces profoundly influence community well-being. Understanding this relationship is crucial for leveraging planning and policy to foster equ...

Matrix on Point: Conspiracy Theories

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Conspiracy theories are a pervasive and powerful force in contemporary society, shaping public discourse and influencing real-world events. Understand...

Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On October 15, 2025, Matrix hosted an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence, by P...

Legitimation by (Mis)identification: Credit, Discrimination, and The Racial Epistemology of Algorithmic Expansion

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on September 22, 2025, this video features a talk by Davon Norris, Assistant Professor of Organizational Studies and Sociology (by courtesy) ...

New Directions: Borderlands

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Borders reflect the many social, historical, and political forces that shape global movement and identity. While borders often suggest fixed lines of ...

Technology and China in the New Political Economy

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The innovation, use and experience, and exchange of new and emerging technologies today are influenced by the role that China plays in global politics...

Governing Giants: Law, Politics, and Antitrust

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Large corporations increasingly dominate markets, the flow of information, and political influence. In response, many governments have used antitrust ...

150 Years of Border Control: The Legacy of the 1875 Page Act

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on April 23, 2025, this event marked the 150th anniversary of the Page Act of 1875, one of the first federal laws to restrict immigration to ...

Matrix on Point: The New Gender Gap

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are we witnessing a backlash to the progress of gender equality around the world? New research reveals a growing gender gap in attitudes across a rang...

Authors Meet Critics: "Native Lands: Culture and Gender in Indigenous Territorial Claims"

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on April 4, 2025, this video features an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book Native Lands: Culture and Gender in Indigenous Territorial Cl...

Social, Spatial, Ecological, and Racial fixes in New Deal South Carolina: Interview with Morgan Vickers

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode of the Matrix Podcast, recorded in Fall 2023, Julia Sizek interviewed Morgan P. Vickers, an Assistant Professor of Race/Racializatio...

Consequential Sentences: Computational Analyses of California Parole Hearing Transcripts

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on April 1, 2025, this video features a talk by AJ Alvero, a computational sociologist at Cornell University, presenting findings from an ana...

Alex Roehrkasse: The New Contours of Mass Incarceration

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 18, 2025, this video features a talk by Alexander F. Roehrkasse, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Butler Universi...

Matrix on Point: Mainstreaming Psychedelics

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Psychedelics are steadily moving from the fringes of counterculture to the heart of mainstream society, driven by a growing body of research and shift...

The State of Higher Education: Interview with Lorna Finlayson

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One measure of the fragile state of many democracies is the way in which public universities have come under attack around the world. A new podcast se...

Los Angeles Wildfires: Risk, Resilience, and Collective Action

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As wildfires grow more frequent and devastating, they expose vulnerabilities in infrastructure, governance, and community preparedness. Tackling this ...

Society Despite the State: Reimagining Geographies of Order

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on February 10, 2025, this "Authors Meet Critics" panel centered on the book Society Despite the State: Reimagining Geographies of Order, b...

Interview with Julia Sizek: Regulating Off-Roading in the California Desert

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Julia Sizek is a writer and anthropologist who studies the California desert and rural land management more broadly. Her work focuses on the politics ...

New Directions in the Study of Fringe Politics

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fringe politics today is highly diverse and dynamic, reflecting the rapid social, technological, and economic changes of the 21st century. While the t...

The Future of California Agriculture

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As one of the nation's agricultural powerhouses, California's farming industry stands at a critical juncture. Climate change, labor availability and m...

Making Sense of the Elections of 2024

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The American election closed out a year of momentous elections. Almost two decades on from the financial crisis of 2007 that helped unleash a wave of...

Gendered Violence in Insurgencies: Interview with Tara Chandra

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Tara Chandra, a consultant and independent researcher who received a PhD in in Political...

New Directions in the Study of Labor

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this "New Directions" panel, recorded on December 2, 2024, an interdisciplinary group of UC Berkeley graduate students explored the evolving dynami...

Sin Padres, Ni Papeles: Unaccompanied Migrant Youth Coming of Age in the United States

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on December 3, 2024, this podcast episode features an Authors Meet Critics panel on Sin Padres, Ni Papeles: Unaccompanied Migrant Youth Comi...

Authors Meet Critics: "Authoritarian Absorption: The Transnational Remaking of Epidemic Politics in China"

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on November 13, 2024, this Authors Meet Critics" panel centered on the book Authoritarian Absorption: The Transnational Remaking of Epidemic...

Emotion, Race, and Gender: Interview with Gold Okafor

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gold Okafor is a PhD candidate in social and personality psychology at UC Berkeley. She investigates racial and gender disparities through emotion res...

Matrix on Point: Shifting Alignments in the 2024 Election

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on October 25, 2024, this panel examined the shifting demographic and political forces that are redefining the traditional bases of the Democ...

The Imperiled Place of Universities and Democracy in the USA: Interview with Todd Wolfson

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Global Democracy Commons Podcast: Episode 2 In the run up to the American election we talked to Todd Wolfson, the new President of AAUP, about how pub...

Matrix on Point: Voices from the Heartland

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few years, Arlie Hochschild has been in conversation with citizens of Pikeville, Kentucky, in the heart of Appalachia; Jenny Reardon has...

Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on October 9, 2024, this video features an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Polit...

Matrix on Point: War is Back

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

War is back. Open military operations in Europe and the Middle East have driven an escalation of geopolitical tensions in those regions. The conduct o...

Understanding Academic Freedom: Interview with Hank Reichman

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One measure of the fragile state of many democracies is the way in which public universities have come under attack around the world. A new monthly po...

Authors Meet Critics - Juana María Rodríguez, "Puta Life: Seeing Latinas, Working Sex"

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Sept. 16, 2024, Social Science Matrix hosted an Authors Meet Critics panel focused on the book Puta Life: Seeing Latinas, Working Sex, by Juana Mar...

Prisoner Labor Legacies: An interview with Elizabeth Hargrett and Xander Lenc

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While recent news has highlighted how prisoners have fought wildfires, prison labor is not a new phenomenon. Although incarcerated people have built h...

Agricultural Modernization in China: Interview with Ross Doll and Coleman Mahler

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features Matrix Postdoctoral Fellow Julia Sizek interviewing Ross Doll and Coleman Mahler, two scholars from differ...

The Emotions of Dyadic Relationships: An Interview with Jenna Wells and Felicia Zerwas

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Jenna Wells and Felicia Zerwas, who at the time of the interview were Ph.D. candidates i...

Sugar and the Transformation of the American West: An Interview with Bernadette Pérez

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode of the Matrix Podcast, J.T. Jamieson, a 2022-2023 Matrix Communications Scholar, interviewed Bernadette Pérez, Assistant Professor ...

Storytelling and the Climate Crisis

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Contemporary writers and activists have described the climate crisis as, in part, a crisis of the imagination, of culture, and of storytelling. Record...

New Directions in Greening Infrastructure

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the effects of climate change become more obvious, moving away from fossil fuels has only become more urgent. But to do so, new energy sources – ...

Conservatorship: Inside California's System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 18, 2024, this panel focused on Professor Alex V. Barnard's book, Conservatorship: Inside California's System of Coercion and Care f...

Authors Meet Critics: "Terracene: A Crude Aesthetics," Salar Mameni

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

  Recorded on March 4, 2024, this Authors Meet Critics panel focused on Terracene: A Crude Aesthetics, by Professor Salar Mameni, Assistant Professo...

Structural Determinants of Police Violence: Interview with Kimberly Cecilia Burke

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kimberly Cecilia Burke, a PhD candidate in Sociology at UC Berkeley, researches the relationships between institutional violence and social stratifica...

The Scandal of Access: An Interview with Zahra Hayat

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Zahra Hayat, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. ...

Private Firms and WTO Dispute Escalation: An Interview with Ryan Brutger

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Daniel Lobo, a PhD student in the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology and a 2022-2023 Matrix Communications Sch...

Understanding Land-based Psychological Trauma in Light of Epistemic Justice

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on February 8, 2024, this video features a lecture by Dr. Garret Barnwell, South African clinical psychologist and community psychology pract...

Authors Meet Critics: "The Unnaming of Kroeber Hall," by Andrew Garrett

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on January 19, 2024, this "Authors Meet Critics" panel centered on the book, The Unnaming of Kroeber Hall: Language, Memory, and Indigenous ...

Vincent Bevins - "If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution"

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on October 17, 2023, this video features a talk by Vincent Bevins, an award-winning journalist and correspondent, focused on his book, If We...

Authoritarian Absorption: An Interview with Yan Long

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Yan Long, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley who focuses on the politics of...

Trevor Jackson, "Impunity and Capitalism: the Afterlives of European Financial Crises, 1690-1830"

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on December 5, 2023, this Authors Meet Critics panel focused on Impunity and Capitalism: the Afterlives of European Financial Crises, 1690-1...

Authors Meet Critics: Sharad Chari, "Gramsci at Sea"

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on November 28, 2023 as part of the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix "Authors Meet Critics" series, this panel focused on Gramsci at Sea, a ...

Authors Meet Critics: Dylan Penningroth, "Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights"

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on November 14, 2023 at UC Berkeley's Social Science Matrix, this "Authors Meet Critics" panel is focused on Before the Movement: The Hidden ...

Matrix on Point: New Directions in Gender and Sexuality

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While the last 20 years have marked a significant change in increased acceptance of varied gender expressions and sexual orientations, these changes h...

Racial and Ethnic Difference in South Africa and the USSR: An Interview with Hilary Lynd

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did South Africans and Soviets think about how to manage difference--in their home contexts and in decades of conversation with one another? In th...

California Spotlight: From Boom to Doom in San Francisco

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During the peak of the most recent tech upswing, downtown San Francisco was booming. Now, after the pandemic and a new round of tech layoffs, comment...

Authors Meet Critics: Massimo Mazzotti, "Reactionary Mathematics: A Genealogy of Purity"

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on October 17, 2023, this video features an "Authors Meet Critics" panel on the book Reactionary Mathematics: A Genealogy of Purity, by Mass...

Matrix on Point: The Future of College

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has rocked higher education. From Zoom classrooms to students leaving higher education, colleges have needed to change modalities to adap...

War, Diaspora, Bureaucracy: An Interview with Sherine Ebadi

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does international conflict shape immigration bureaucracy? Sherine Ebadi, a PhD Candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Geography, researches t...

Voter Turnout in the United States: An Interview with Emily Rong Zhang

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Jennie Barker, a PhD Candidate in the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science at UC Berkeley...

The Binational Politics of Return Migrant Activism: An Interview with Caroline Tracey

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Caroline Tracey, who holds a PhD from the UC Berkeley Department of Geography, and whose...

Roundtable with Orlando Patterson: The Nature and Invention of Freedom

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on May 2, 2023 at UC Berkeley's Social Science Matrix, this video features a roundtable conversation with Orlando Patterson, John Cowles Prof...

Orlando Patterson: "Slavery and Genocide: The U.S, Jamaica and the Historical Sociology of Evil"

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A transcript of this episode can be found at https://matrix.berkeley.edu/research-article/slavery-and-genocide-the-u-s-jamaica-and-the-historical-soc...

Training Bourgeois Selves: Magnus Hirschfeld and the Subsumption of Pederasty

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on February 22, 2023, this podcast features a lecture by Professor Kadji Amin, Associate Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies a...

The Modern American Industrial Strategy: Building a Clean Energy Economy from the Bottom Up and Middle Out

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 22, 2023, this talk — "The Modern American Industrial Strategy: Building a Clean Energy Economy from the Bottom Up and Middle Out...

The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 23, 2023, this talk featured Phil Gorski, Frederick and Laura Goff Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Yale University, ...

Matrix on Point: Wealth and Taxes

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do the wealthy maintain their wealth through tax havens, and what can we learn about these opaque practices? Recorded on April 3, 2023, this panel...

Jo Guldi: Towards a Practice of Text Mining to Understand Change Over Historical Time

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 8, 2023, this video features a lecture by Jo Guldi, Professor of History and Practicing Data Scientist at Southern Methodist Univers...

Jo Guldi, "The Long Land War: The Global Struggle for Occupancy Rights"

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most nations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa experienced some form of "land reform" in the 20th century. But what is land reform? In her book, The...

Economics and Geopolitics in US International Relations: China, Europe, and the Global South

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have reshaped global geopolitics, trade, and security. How will these changes affect the relationship between the ...

Matrix on Point: Myths and Misinformation

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Misinformation and conspiracy theories have become a central feature of modern life, but they have a long history that have served to justify surveill...

To Defend This Sunrise: Black Women's Activism and the Authoritarian Turn in Nicaragua

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 7, 2023 at UC Berkeley's Social Science Matrix, this  Authors Meet Critics panel focused on To Defend This Sunrise: Black Women's...

Cooperating with the Colossus: A Social and Political History of US Military Bases in World War II Latin America

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded on March 6, 2023 at UC Berkeley's Social Science Matrix, this "Authors Meet Critics" panel focused on Cooperating with the Colossus: A Socia...

Matrix Distinguished Lecture: Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, "Reimagining Global Integration"

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On February 15, 2023, Social Science Matrix was honored to host Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Pea...

Authors Meet Critics: Dylan Riley, "Microverses: Observations from a Shattered Present"

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On February 1, 2023, Social Science Matrix presented an Authors Meet Critics panel on Microverses: Observations from a Shattered Present, a book by Dy...

Interview with Adriana Kugler, World Bank Executive Director for the US

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A transcript of this interview can be found at https://matrix.berkeley.edu/research-article/alumni-interview-adriana-kugler-world-bank-executive-dire...

Migration and Reform in Early America: An Interview with J.T. Jamieson

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What role did American social and moral reformers play in managing human migrations? J.T. Jamieson, a Phd Candidate in UC Berkeley's Department of His...

Reconsidering the Achievement Gap: An Interview with Monica Ellwood-Lowe

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Monica Ellwood-Lowe is a PhD candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Psychology whose research focuses on differences between outcomes for studen...

Shifting Inequality and Mass Incarceration

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek spoke with two scholars whose work focuses on explaining how mass incarceration has changed over th...

Economic Benefits of Higher Education: Maximilian Müller and Zach Bleemer

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people choose to go to college (or not)? What impact do race-based or financial aid policies have on higher education and the broader economy? ...

A Changing Landscape for Farmers in India: An Interview with Tanya Matthan and Aarti Sethi

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In countries around the world, the "Green Revolution" has changed the scale and economy of growing crops, as pesticides, fertilizers, and new kinds of...

Institutionalizing Child Welfare: An Interview with Matty Lichtenstein

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do American child welfare and obstetric healthcare converge? Matty Lichtenstein, a recent PhD from Berkeley's Sociology Department, studies how st...

Race, Gender, and Political Speech: An Interview with Gabriella Licata

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was insulted on the Capitol steps in July 2020, it was a brief media sensation. But what does being called an "effing bi...

Listening to Rwandan Popular Music with Victoria Netanus Grubbs

10 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode features an interview with Victoria Netanus Grubbs, Lecturer and Postdoctoral Fellow with the Black Studies Collaboratory. Grubbs is a bl...

What happened to the week? Interview with David Henkin

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek interviews David M. Henkin, the Margaret Byrne Professor of History at UC Berkeley, about his new b...

Individual Trauma, Social Outcomes

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek interviews Biz Herman, a PhD candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Political Science, a Visiti...

Science and Socialism in Cuba

09 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Matrix podcast, Julia Sizek (a PhD candidate in anthropology at UC Berkeley) interviews Clare Ibarra, a PhD candidate in histor...

Genetic Ancestry Testing and Reconnection: Interview with Dr. Victoria Massie

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Julia Sizek, a PhD candidate in Anthropology at UC Berkeley, interviews Dr. Victoria Massie, an Assistant Professor in the Department...

Politics of Indigeneity in El Salvador

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Matrix podcast, Julia Sizek interviews Hector Callejas, a PhD candidate in Ethnic Studies and a 2021-2022 ACLS/Mellon Dissertat...

A New Voice for Black History: Xavier Buck, PhD

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek interviews Xavier Buck, Deputy Director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, a nonprofit that has ...