New Season of Minority Politics Online Seminar Series Begins

A new season of Minority Politics Online Seminar Series (MPOSS) kicks off on September 27^th with a talk by Justin Zimmerman on “Race, Class, and Distrust.” This series, hosted by Drs. Ana Bracic and Nazita Lajevardi from the Department of Political Science, and Dr. Mark J. Brandt from the Department of Psychology, uniquely focuses on how politics affect and is affected by marginalized people who have less power and are often excluded from the system.  

“Politics is complex. To understand it, we need to look at it from multiple perspectives,” said Dr. Brandt. “MPOSS is the place where that can happen.”

This season, the first nine talks are all by researchers who are early on in their careers, already making an impact in the political science and social psychology fields and are on the academic job market. Their talks will cover timely topics that are directly relevant to the political challenges the U.S. and many parts of the world are facing, including how social media affects interethnic relationships, cultural self-expression, the candidacies of Black women, and how race affects legislative behavior.

“I am proud that MPOSS is hosting some of the most innovative and brilliant minds studying minority politics in the fields of psychology, American politics, and comparative politics today,” said Dr. Lajevardi.

Historically, forming intellectual connections across disciplinary and national boundaries has been a challenge for this field. To increase accessibility and to help eliminate scholarly isolation, the talks are all held online. This lowers barriers for those who live far away or have limited funds to attend conferences. Recorded talks are posted online so conversations can be continued and shared in educational courses.

“MPOSS stands out because it bridges several subfields and exposes scholars who work on identity to questions and approaches that might be just a bit outside of the box,” said Dr. Bracic. “For me, seeing new, cutting-edge research on identity is the most exciting and invigorating part of MPOSS and I hope that scholars from many departments tune in to see our fantastic speaker line-up.”

The talks begin at noon EST. The first 40-45 minutes are Zoom presentations with 15 minutes reserved for questions and answers.  Attend the Minority Politics Online Seminary Series by signing up to receive the Zoom links here.