Nation & World

All Nation & World

  • An unflinching look at racism as America’s caste system

    Kicking off a monthly series designed to harness “the power of storytelling,” was Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson, author of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”

    Isabel Wilkerson and othes on Zoom screen.
  • Capitol losses

    Following the Jan. 6 riot that left five people dead and 140 police officers injured, a Harvard panel of experts reflected on the critical damage done to democracy and the arduous work ahead to figure out how to save it.

    Zoom panel.
  • Stepping up to the front line

    Harvard undergrads learned how culture, society, and systems of power shape the exchange of care between individuals and communities, and they put their lessons into practice through semester-long “community care projects.”

    Class photo in Zoom.
  • And now, the way forward

    Harvard faculty members reflect on the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the challenges that await them in the months ahead.

    Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office.
  • ‘History has its eyes on us’

    Harvard alumna Amanda Gorman delivered the inaugural poem during the ceremony on Wednesday.

    Amanda Gorman reads inaugural poem.
  • Recognizing pain but seizing hope

    Harvard faculty and students reflect on a solemn, powerful presidential inaugural for troubled times.

    Joe Biden sworn in.
  • Reaffirming inauguration rituals after Capitol assault

    How the symbolic aspects of a cornerstone of American democracy evolved.

    Capitol building.
  • The oddities of Inauguration Day

    An interview with constitutional scholar Sandy Levinson about the history behind Inauguration Day and the reasons why he thinks it should be moved to an earlier date.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover in convertible automobile on way to U.S. Capitol for Roosevelt's inauguration, March 4, 1933
  • Connection as an answer to turmoil

    The Dalai Lama said that personal connections are the right response to the world’s turmoil, even amid COVID-19.

    Dalai Lama's residence.
  • Securing public spaces in the wake of Capitol violence

    As the Capitol riot sparks a security surge, scholars mull how to maintain safe and open access to the nation’s symbols of democracy.

    Capitol viewed through barricades.
  • Broad Institute director tapped for White House role

    Eric S. Lander will step down from his role at the Broad Institute and will take a leave-of-absence from his faculty positions to serve as White House Science Advisor.

    Eric Lander and Larry Bacow.
  • A poetic beginning

    First U.S. youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman to deliver reading at Biden inauguration.

    Amanda Gorman.
  • Project for Asian and International Relations goes virtual

    HPAIR Harvard Conference 2021: Embracing Change goes virtual, running Jan. 15-18.

    Zeel Patel and Eric Lin.
  • Where are we now after a second impeachment?

    The U.S. House of Representatives made history by impeaching a president for a second time.

    President Donald Trump.
  • Lessons from teaching in COVID times

    “Teaching and Learning at Harvard: Looking Back, Looking Forward” has Harvard deans looking at achievements and challenges from the past year.

    Panel from "Teaching and Learning."
  • How to talk to your kids about the Capitol riots

    Richard Weissbourd, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, talks about how to navigate conversations around difficult topics with children of all ages.

    Police with guns drawn watch as rioters try to break into the House Chamber.
  • K-12 education appears on downward slide as pandemic continues

    U.S. K-12 schools are struggling through a difficult school year, with a significant number of children who are learning remotely becoming chronically absent, a Harvard education experts said Tuesday.

    School buses.
  • Democrats have both Congress and the White House — but not a free hand

    In addition to winning the White House, Democrats will soon take control of Congress for the first time since 2007 after last week’s historic Senate runoff victories by the Rev.…

    Raphael Warnock, left, and Jon Ossoff, right,
  • Concern over storming of the Capitol

    In a stunning display, violent insurgents who support President Donald Trump briefly occupied the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, disrupting its work on certifying the presidential election. Harvard faculty reacted critically, and President Larry Bacow said the rioters “assaulted the democratic process.”

    Trump rally protesters at the Capitol.
  • Harvard partners in national alliance to diversify STEM postdocs and faculty

    Harvard is a partner in an effort to increase the number of postdoctoral researchers and faculty in STEM fields who come from historically underrepresented minority groups.

    Scientist holding up a lab sample.
  • Toppling the myth of meritocracy

    The myth of meritocracy is not merely self-deluding, Michael Sandel argues in his new book, but it also fuels our divisiveness.

    Michael Sandel.
  • TGIO (thank God it’s over)

    With 2020 behind us, it is apparent that this January won’t be one for resolutions but rather anti-resolutions: the things we’d rather not see or do ever again, thank you.

    Anti-Resolutions list.
  • Revelations of cyberattacks on U.S. likely just ‘tip of the iceberg’

    A major cyberattack by what appears to be Russia targeted the U.S. government and top corporations.

    Red Square in Moscow.
  • Bacow letter urges Biden to reverse Trump immigration curbs

    Harvard president backs DACA, TPS, and ending Muslim-nation travel ban.

    Widener.
  • Lessons for the season of giving

    Harvard psychologists who study charitable giving launched a new donation platform to examine what motivates people to give more effectively.

    It's the season to give. Donation jar
  • Turning a light on our implicit biases

    Mahzarin Banaji, Cabot Professor of Social Ethics in the Department of Psychology, who studies implicit biases, was the featured speaker at an online seminar Tuesday, “Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People.”

    Mahzarin Banaji
  • Rochelle Walensky to run CDC

    Rochelle Walensky, professor at Harvard Medical School and chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, was named the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by President-elect Biden.

    Rochelle Walensky
  • Why Maradona matters

    Professor Mariano Siskind talks about Diego Armando Maradona, the soccer star who died on Nov. 25 of heart failure at age 60, and what he represented for fans of the world’s most popular sport.

    Diego Maradona in 1986.
  • Principled yet just, pragmatic yet idealistic — and nice

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, recipient of the 2020 Gleitsman International Activist Award from Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, talks about leadership challenges and how she’s dealt with crises from the outside, like the coronavirus pandemic, and from the inside, like self-doubt and sexism in politics.

    Sherman abd Ardern in Zoom talk.
  • Giving thanks for what, exactly?

    Natives at Harvard College held the Indigenous Inspirers Panel two days before Thanksgiving to discuss how Indigenous people celebrate Thanksgiving. Among the panelists were North Dakota State Rep. Ruth Buffalo, Sadada Jackson, Autumn Peltier, Chenae Bullock, Pua Case, and Tara Houska.

    Zoom panel.