Social Sciences Division

"UW is making exciting inroads in data science and data studies, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this interdisciplinary effort, which spans from the humanities to the social and physical sciences and beyond," says Mia Bennett, assistant professor in the Department of Geography.

"The death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, announced on Feb. 16, 2024, lays bare to the world the costs of political persecutions. Although his cause of death remains unknown, the 47-year-old died while serving a 19-year sentence in a Siberian penal colony," writes James Long, professor of political science at the UW.

"Native-led organizations have fought to have the Kansas City team’s name changed for years," writes columnist Naomi Ishisaka. Iisaaksiichaa Ross Braine, teaching faculty in American Indian Studies at the UW, is quoted.

Americans are moving within the country far less often than they once did. The peak of U.S. migration followed the end of World War II and lasted through the mid-1970s. But while overall migration is down, state-to-state moves are slowly on the rise again. James Gregory, professor and associate chair of history at the UW, is quoted.

Conditions in the immigrant detention facility have garnered over 300 complaints, but a law to increase state oversight is still tied up in court. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies and justice and of international studies and director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

The Seattle Art Museum will remove five Native American cultural items from public view, a spokesperson said Thursday. The museum said the items are all of Tlingit origin, a group Indigenous to what is now Southeast Alaska. They include three headdresses, a dagger and a staff. The UW's Justice McNeeley, repatriation coordinator and assistant registrar at the Burke Museum; and Sara Gonzalez, associate professor of anthropology and curator of archaeology at the Burke Museum, are quoted.

Identity Unboxed, a podcast created by alums Tiana Cole and Brad Blackburn III, explores the experiences of Black professionals in the Seattle area.

For several months between the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023, two or three researchers at the UW headed to the Puget Sound Regional Archives in Bellevue and spent each Friday digging into Kitsap County deed books — specifically, around 300 bound volumes and 520 documents between 1921 and 1948. The purpose was to identify and map neighborhoods marked by racist deed provisions and restrictive covenants across the state before 1968. Sophia Dowling, project coordinator with the UW Racial Restrictive Covenants Project, is quoted, and team members Erin Miller and Samantha Cutts are mentioned.

The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Lunar New Year "Year of the Dragon" Forever stamp in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District in Seattle on Thursday. The Postal Service printed 22 million stamps that are now on sale at post offices and usps.com. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

The United States Postal Service is celebrating Lunar New Year with a new commemorative stamp. The “Year of the Dragon” stamp is on sale now at post offices across the country and on usps.com. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

The shock of 2016 spurred his critics to fight. A 2024 repeat could prompt flight instead. Megan Ming Francis, an associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

The Department of Health has received over 300 complaints from detainees about the facility’s conditions. A state law meant to give state agencies more oversight is tied up in court. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies and justice and of international studies and director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

Historically, presidential candidates and their teams have weighed a number of factors — including public opinion and political experience — before making a decision on the number two slot sometime around the party conventions. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Boeing is still a force locally, both in influence and sheer numbers. The company still receives very generous tax benefits from Washington, notes Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW. Yet its presence in the region isn’t top of mind for many anymore.

Japan said its probe reached the moon after a year of setbacks to the nation’s space program, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the lander was intact or functioning. Saadia Pekkanen, professor of international studies at the UW, is quoted.