Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Immigration politics inside and outside the Capitol

The immigration rights activists returned to demonstrate outside the Capitol yesterday, as reports of a Senate compromise on an immigration reform continue to seep into media reports. Most reports put the turnout in the tens of thousands–and noted sympathy rallies … Continue reading

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Recovery for Occupy Wall Street’s library

In the weeks that Occupy Wall Street created a protest village in lower Manhattan, activists put together a lending library of more than 5,000 volumes.  When the police cleared the demonstrators out of Zuccotti Park, contractors hauled all of the … Continue reading

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Marriage equality and the digital political button

If you visited a Facebook site last week you probably saw some version of the badge at right, representing support for marriage equality side of the cases the Supreme Court considered.  Activists encouraged people to change their profile picture to … Continue reading

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The Klan is back (it never went away), in Memphis

Members of the Ku Klux Klan staged a protest rally in Memphis on Saturday. They were protesting the City’s decision to rename three bridges.  The New York Times reports: The old names were Confederate Park; Jefferson Davis Park, named for … Continue reading

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Cesar Chavez birthday, Cesar Chavez holiday

Today, March 31, is Cesar Chavez’s birthday; the holiday was celebrated Friday.  In commemoration, I’m reposting some thoughts on the holiday, originally posted 2011. On my campus, we commemorated Cesar Chavez Day early, yesterday, rather than March 31 (his birthday), … Continue reading

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Coming out and digging in

Public opinion data provides strong support for the coming out strategy that has been at the core of gay and lesbian activism for decades. The graph on the left (right), where the lines cross, is a familiar one for anyone … Continue reading

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Supreme Court spectacles, football, and same sex marriage

No one should think that the oral arguments conducted today and tomorrow in the Supreme Court–or the decisions the Court will issue this spring–will resolve the evolving politics of gay marriage, and gay rights more generally.  The spectacle of the … Continue reading

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Coming out and opinion change

Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, has announced a change of position on same sex marriage, presumably following a change of heart.  (Of course, it could go the other way as well.)  Senator Portman, formerly President George W. Bush’s … Continue reading

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Template blinders: the where’s the movement question?

Anti-austerity protests have reappeared across Southern Europe.  Citizens are taking to the streets to protest cuts in services and high unemployment.  Where’s the protest in the United States, where we are embarking on new cuts in government spending (call it … Continue reading

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Bloody Sunday and the uses of history

History isn’t just telling stories about the past; for most of us, it’s about making sense of the present.  Politicians, pundits, and activists invoke their understandings of the past to try to affect the future. This Friday, March 7, marks … Continue reading

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