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Happy Sunday – and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S.
Here are a few of our recently published stories:
I was a college student in New York City when Irish songwriter Sinead O’Connor first performed there. What struck me most at the time was her buzz cut – shocking and yet purposeful. Cutting off her hair was a defiant act intended to thwart her record company’s attempts to exploit her pale, wide-eyed beauty.
A remembrance of O’Connor published after her death July 26 was one of last week’s reader picks. Brenna Moore, a professor of theology, goes beyond O’Connor’s rebellious reputation – the performer famously ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live” – to paint a portrait of a woman intent on holding religious institutions accountable even while questing widely for spiritual belonging.
Later this week we’ll bring you stories about the effects of paid family leave on workers in California, why women get far more migraines than men and how to protect more homes from the growing risk of wildfire.
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On AI Jesus’ Twitch channel, chatbot Jesus answers questions on personal and spiritual matters.
Twitch user ask_jesus
Joseph L. Kimmel, Boston College
As a chatbot, dressed in a hooded brown-and-white robe, Jesus is available 24/7 to answer any and all questions on his Twitch channel, ‘ask_jesus.’
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Brenna Moore, Fordham University
A professor of modern Catholicism looks back at the ways the iconic Irish singer steeped herself in religion, even as she criticized its institutions.
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Emmanuel Urquieta, Baylor College of Medicine
If an astronaut were to die on Mars, neither cremation nor burial would be good options.
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Matthew Pittman, University of Tennessee
A scholar of design who researches brand campaigns critiques the social media platform’s new look.
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Stefanie Lindquist, Arizona State University
Donald Trump has been indicted for crimes in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A legal scholar looks at the law to determine whether he can boycott his upcoming trials.
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A relief depicting a row of captives, carved into the Sun Temple at Abu Simbel in Egypt.
Richard Maschmeyer/ Design Pics via Getty Images
Chance Bonar, Tufts University
There was no one type of slavery in ‘biblical’ or ‘ancient’ societies, given how varied they were. But much of what historians know about slavery during those eras is horrific.
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Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, University of Michigan
A scholar explains how a concept that appeared in Nation of Islam literature nearly a century ago essentially defines hip-hop’s consciousness today.
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Gabriel J. Chin, University of California, Davis
A grand jury indicted Donald Trump on conspiracy and obstruction charges related to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Harvard University
A key element in proving Trump’s guilt or innocence is determining the former president’s state of mind and whether he has shown a consciousness of guilt before and after the alleged crimes.
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Kathleen Sexsmith, Penn State; Francisco Alfredo Reyes, Penn State; Megan A. M. Griffin, Connecticut College
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the US, with workers exposed to vehicles, chemicals and heavy equipment. Women working on farms face another risk: sexual assault.
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