Reasons for Hope: Investigations of Extreme Injustice and Poverty in Mumbai with Katherine Boo
During Welcome Week, as a part of this year’s freshman collective reading assignment, Pulitzer Prize winner, author and journalist Katherine Boo spoke to our new students about her book, “Behind the Beautiful Forevers.” This non-fiction investigational piece is set in Mumbai. Amongst rusted tin shacks in the Annawadi slum, overshadowed by luxury hotels and some […]
Prisoner of Conscience: The Story of Mam Sonando and the Future of Journalists in Cambodia
On May 16th, 2012 the Cambodian government conducted a raid of Kratie Province, located in northeast Cambodia. Hundreds of police officers and soldiers bombarded the province, armed with weapons and the help of a military helicopter. Hundreds of Kratie residents were displaced from their land during this government-supported raid, which the government defended by claiming […]
Jamaica: Trying to be Better.
Flying over Jamaica is a little bit like watching advertisements for your dream vacation. The beauty is literally breathtaking. Yes, there are resorts. Yes, the water is spectacular. And yes, the food is phenomenal. But those are just perks. And unfairly, those perks aren’t available to most of the population. The beauty of Jamaica, though, […]
Rethinking Democratization: Authoritarian Reformism in Post-Revolutionary Egypt
On February 11, 2011, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt resigned after almost thirty years in office. The culmination of eighteen days of protest and demonstration across Egypt, this resignation brought an end to an age of authoritarianism and inspired hope for a new era of democracy, egalitarianism, and economic prosperity. Parliamentary elections were scheduled for […]
Is Greece’s Economic Future Destined for Failure?
The current situation in the Eurozone and its reception throughout the world remains twofold: while many people claim that the European economy is gaining momentum, skepticism largely dominates the Greek economy, which has carried heavy financial burden and wavers on the verge of collapse. Therefore, it is no surprise that when most people think about […]
H&M: Fashion’s Human Rights Faux Pas
In the midst of a thick smog and blistering heat, they stand in huddled masses on overcrowded trucks. The young women, in groups of around 20 or 30, are on their way to a new day at work in the Kandal province, only a short trip from the heart of Phnom Penh. Noticeably in pain, […]
Women, India and Change
A country bound by culture, belief, religion and hope for a new tomorrow has recently become a symbol of misogyny. For several decades, women in Indian society have experienced a number of atrocities, some of which go unrecorded, while others are recorded but never publicly acknowledged. History narrates stories of early marriages, which sometimes involved […]
Is India a Safe Place for Women?
On the evening of December 26th, 2012, 23-year-old Jyoti Singh and her friend Awindra Pandey were heading back home from the theatre when they spotted a bus and hailed for a ride. Unaware that the bus was privately rented out for the evening by a group of intoxicated men out on a joyride, the two […]
How the UK Can Finally Decide on its EU Commitment
The formation of the modern European Union did not occur at a single identifiable point in time, but rather through a gradual process over several decades that some now claim has progressed too far. This sentiment is particularly audible in the United Kingdom, where controversy regarding the nation’s membership in the EU is substantial and […]
Kenya’s 2013 Presidential Election: Recurring Violence or a Peaceful Transition?
Between 2002 and 2007, Kenya was an African leader. In one of the most hostile areas of the world, where Islamists had taken control of neighboring Somalia, Sudan faced constant ethnic conflict, and rebel groups were attacking civilians in nearby Uganda and eastern Congo, Kenya managed to flourish. The economy grew at an average of […]