Welcome to our weekly roundup of news from university presses! Once again, there is a lot to share this week from our fellow academic publishing houses and much to learn on What SUP at the social university presses. This week, we found conversations on St. Patrick’s Day, the Supreme Court, and American murder trials. What did you read this week?
The University of California Press explains how nutritional inequity, especially as it affects low-income families, is linked to broader histories of racial, economic, and environmental discrimination. Food has to be situated as a vehicle for a full social justice transformation, just like the Black Panther Party envisioned.
Columbia University Press examines the phenomenon of body building and hyper-masculinity. What does muscle, from Venice Beach to GNC, mean for understanding our conception of masculinity and its role in society?
Princeton University Press analyzes the Supreme Court nomination battle and concludes that Democrats who are challenging Republicans to hold hearings and confirm the nominee will make the nomination and the process itself a campaign issue against incumbent Republican Senators in a fight for partisan control over the U.S. Senate.
The University of North Carolina Press chronicles the history of African American women who were forced into labor camps and factories to make profits for private investors while being prisoners in the state of Georgia.
Stanford University Press examines the role of human error in the Fukushima nuclear accident. One can hope that the lessons from the nuclear accident lead to demonstrably improved nuclear safety and security into the future.
The NYU Press analyzes the history of Irish and Italian immigrants in New York City and how these two immigrant populations learned to get along. The New York story tells the nation that the kind of fear and anger many are experiencing now can be overcome.
Oxford University Press explains that Americans have lost faith in the justice system in relation to murder trials. Americans are asking tough questions about the integrity of the police, detectives, and prosecutors involved in the trials, especially when concerning the death of unarmed African Americans. There seems to be something deeply amiss with the criminal justice system.
The MIT Press explores the ways in which video games can influence the players’ emotions and social connections. Beyond pure entertainment, many experimental video games are exploring a broader swath of emotional terrain and engendering a rich range of emotions in the player.
Ep. 134—The Therapeutic Benefits of Reading Greek Tragedy