Division of Social Studies

Recent News

• Professor Daniel Wortel-London Interviewed in Phenomenal World
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  Professor Daniel Wortel-London Interviewed in Phenomenal World

  

  L-R: Daniel Wortel-London and the cover of his book The Menace of Prosperity.
  

  Visiting Assistant Professor Daniel Wortel-London was interviewed about cities and private enterprise in the magazine Phenomenal World. As “the basic assumptions about what cities do and who they serve are undergoing a historic revision,” Wortel-London argues urban growth can be decoupled from private interests. Speaking with Kim Williams-Fein, he discussed the history of New York City’s five boroughs, and how the city's development politics over the decades now impact the current mayoral race: “Cities have more economic agency than they’re often given credit for and progressives like Mamdani, if he comes to office, have power to wield it.”
  
  Wortel-London also discussed his new book The Menace of Prosperity, which tells the history of New York’s development in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Speaking about public options for city utilities and housing and the pushback to them, Wortel-London says this time period shows “fiscal crises and underdevelopment derive not only from the absence of growth, but also from its presence.”
  

  Read the Interview
  

  
  Post Date: 10-07-2025
  
• Nicole Meselsohn ’26 Named 2025–26 Newman Civic Fellow
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  Nicole Meselsohn ’26 Named 2025–26 Newman Civic Fellow

  

  Nicole Meselsohn ’26.
  

  Bard College student Nicole Meselsohn ’26 has been announced as a recipient of the Newman Civic Fellowship for 2025–26 by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education. The Fellowship is a yearlong program that recognizes students who stand out for their leadership potential and commitment to creating positive change in communities. Each fellow is nominated by their campus president or chancellor, who is invited to select one exemplary community-committed student from their campus each year.
  
  “It is an honor to welcome this group of accomplished and dedicated students to the Newman Civic Fellowship,” said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. “As higher education faces unprecedented challenges, these students exemplify the power and possibility of civic and community engagement on campus. As they emerge as the leaders of tomorrow, we are proud that this fellowship will be part of their story.”
  
  Meselsohn, a psychology major, leads Young Leaders: Women in Fire, a series of hands-on and presentation based workshops and training to show young girls in middle and high school that there is a place for them in the fire service. Meselsohn actively engages with the local community around Bard as a volunteer firefighter and NYS certified EMT. Deeply committed to serving her community, Meselsohn has participated in multiple community events including a Resilience Cafe, and was selected to attend Bard's prestigious annual Get Engaged Conference where she presented on her project to an international audience of youth leaders.
  
  Founded in 1985, Campus Compact is the nation's largest and oldest national association dedicated to advancing the civic and community engagement mission of higher education. It empowers colleges and universities to advance their academic and civic missions by partnering with communities to address complex social issues and further equity, justice, and prosperity for all. Learn more at compact.org.
  
  Post Date: 10-06-2025
  
• Professor Helen Epstein’s Book Why Live Reviewed in the Wall Street Journal
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  Professor Helen Epstein’s Book Why Live Reviewed in the Wall Street Journal

  

  Helen Epstein, visiting professor of human rights and global public health at Bard College.
  

  A new book by Helen Epstein, visiting professor of human rights and global public health at Bard College, has been reviewed in the Wall Street Journal. The book, Why Live: How Suicide Becomes an Epidemic, which Esptein wrote after learning that a family friend had taken their own life, delves into the reasons why people consider suicide and the ways that desire might be mitigated on both a personal and communal level. Epstein examines how, across cultures around the world, suicides sometimes occur in clusters that resemble an epidemic, and “highlights a number of case studies that imply a connection between high rates of suicide and rapid societal changes that disrupt old ways of life,” the Wall Street Journal writes. 
  
  The Human Rights Program at Bard is a transdisciplinary program involving such diverse fields as literature, political studies, history, anthropology, economics, film and media, and art history. It emphasizes integrative historical and conceptual investigations, and offers a rigorous background that can inform meaningful practical engagements. The program seeks to orient students in the intellectual tradition of human rights and provide them the resources with which to appreciate and criticize its contemporary status.
   
  

  Read the full review in the Wall Street Journal
  

  
  Post Date: 09-30-2025
  
• Professor Omar G. Encarnación for TIME Magazine: “Why Bolsonaro’s Conviction Matters”
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  Professor Omar G. Encarnación for TIME Magazine: “Why Bolsonaro’s Conviction Matters”

  

  Omar G. Encarnación, Charles Flint Kellogg Professor of Politics at Bard College.
  

  For TIME magazine, Omar G. Encarnación, Charles Flint Kellogg Professor of Politics at Bard College, examines the significance of the recent conviction of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup to stay in power following his defeat in the 2022 Brazilian election. Encarnación discusses the trial’s impact on Brazilian democracy, how it will affect US-Brazilian ties, and the importance of understanding how the prosecution was achieved. “No single factor accounts for Bolsonaro’s successful prosecution,” Encarnación writes. “Instead, there’s a mingling of legal, political, and societal factors. The main one is the assertion of judicial power by the Federal Supreme Court and the Superior Electoral Court. In the Bolsonaro era, these institutions have shown extraordinary independence in the pursuit of accountability.”
  
  The Politics Program at Bard welcomes students who care about politics and want to reason critically about political outcomes and debates at the local, national, and international levels. The program is designed to inform responsible participation in American and global public affairs, and prepares students for work and further study in political science, international affairs, public policy, law, cultural studies, and related fields.
  
  Further reading: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/brazil/irony-trumps-spat-brazil
  

  Read More in TIME
  

  
  Post Date: 09-24-2025
  
• Former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer ’95 Spoke at Bard College in First Public Remarks Since Dismissal
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  Former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer ’95 Spoke at Bard College in First Public Remarks Since Dismissal

  

  Erika McEntarfer ’95. ©Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Photo by Karl Rabe
  

  Hosted by the Levy Economics Institute, Bard alumna Erika McEntarfer ’95, former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), spoke to an audience of Bard students, faculty, staff, and community members in Olin Hall on September 16. She recounted the day of her abrupt dismissal following the release of the July jobs report and discussed the ways that nonpartisan statisticians affect our everyday lives as Americans. McEntarfer compared the efforts of the BLS to the work of city planners involved in transportation infrastructure. “Real-time economic data is like live traffic updates—helpful for making quick decisions—like adjusting interest rates quickly to avoid an economic downturn,” she said. The data produced by BLS is used widely, from top officials in the federal government to traders on Wall Street, whose decisions have real consequences for Americans. “The decisions they make—to adjust interest rates to avoid a recession, to build a new plant in your city, to sell stocks or bonds—impact how easy it will be for you to find a good job, how affordable it will be for you to buy a house and raise a family, and how comfortable your retirement will be.”
  
  Introducing McEntarfer, Pavlina Tcherneva, president of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, noted that this event was more than just an academic talk. “This is our community gathering to champion a vital idea: that truth and rigorous analysis matter,” Tcherneva said. “That our ability to solve problems and find common ground depends on a shared commitment to facts and honest inquiry.” She emphasized that the work done at the Levy Institute relies on “reliable, trustworthy data,” and that without that, “We would lose our capacity to truly understand the economic forces shaping our communities and our country.”
  
  McEntarfer warned of the potential costs of politicization of economic data. “Economic data must be free from partisan influence. That is essential to the mission of the agency. Markets have to trust that the data are not manipulated,” she said. “Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like will have serious economic consequences.” After the talk concluded, she took the time to answer questions from the audience, including from current students on topics ranging from data science, job prospects, and their Senior Projects. The talk was widely covered across all major news outlets, from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg to CNN.
  
  The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy research organization that encourages diversity of opinion in the examination of economic policy issues while striving to transform ideological arguments into informed debate. The Levy Institute is home to two Master's degree programs—a one-year MA and two-year MS—in Economic Theory and Policy.
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  • New York Times: “Fired by Trump, a Former Labor Official Warns Against Politicizing Economic Data”
  • Wall Street Journal: “Fired BLS Chief Breaks Silence, Calls Her Dismissal a ‘Dangerous Step’”
  • CNN: “Former BLS commissioner says firing her was a ‘dangerous’ step for the US economy”
  • Financial Times: “Fired BLS chief calls Donald Trump’s attack on US data agency a ‘dangerous step’”
  • Bloomberg: “Former BLS Chief Recounts Shock of Getting Fired Over Jobs Data”
  • Politico: “Ex-BLS chief said she was blindsided by Trump firing Erika McEntarfer said she is fearful about the possible loss of the statistical agency’s independence from political actors.”
  • The Hill: “BLS chief fired by Trump over jobs report comments publicly for first time”
  • The Guardian: “Labor statistics chief fired by Trump sounds alarm over White House’s ‘dangerous’ interference”
  • Daily Mail: “Fired federal employee warns Trump he made a 'dangerous' misstep when he publicly terminated her”
  • Business Insider: “The fired head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is warning about data manipulation”
  • Reuters: “Ex-BLS chief says her firing by Trump marked 'dangerous step' for economy”
  • The Independent: “Former BLS chair breaks silence on being fired by Trump and going from unknown to ‘household name’”
  • The Huffington Post: “Official Fired By Trump For Poor Jobs Report Breaks Silence On Shocking Ouster”

  
  
  Post Date: 09-17-2025
  
• Bard College’s Stevenson Library Will Host “Rewriting Hisstory” Talk with Jeff Kisseloff and Jonathan Brent on September 15
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  Bard College’s Stevenson Library Will Host “Rewriting Hisstory” Talk with Jeff Kisseloff and Jonathan Brent on September 15

  

  L–R: Author Jeff Kisseloff; Jonathan Brent, visiting Alger Hiss Professor of History and Literature at Bard College.
  

  The Stevenson Library at Bard College is pleased to present “Rewriting Hisstory,” a conversation between Jonathan Brent, visiting Alger Hiss Professor of History and Literature at Bard, and author Jeff Kisseloff. They will discuss Kisseloff's new book, Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss, about the American government official who was accused of spying for the Soviet Union and whose controversial case became one the most important political trials of the 20th century.
  
  The talk will take place on Monday, September 15 from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm on the first floor of the Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Library on Bard’s campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The event, which will feature a reception with refreshments and end with a Q&A, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 845-758-6822.
  
  Alger Hiss, a US State Department official and the Secretary-General of the UN's San Francisco Conference, was accused by Whittaker Chambers in 1948 of having been a Communist spy in the 1930s. The statute of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950. Hiss maintained his innocence until his death, and Kisseloff, in his book, brings a new perspective, evidence, and accusations to this historical controversy.
  
  Jeff Kisseloff developed a fascination for the Hiss case as a child when he heard a recording of Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In college, Kisseloff contacted Hiss and went to work for him, reading his voluminous FBI file. He later became a newspaper reporter and editor, an author of five books including three oral histories, and has been working full time on Rewriting Hisstory since 1997. Kisseloff is a native New Yorker who now lives in Tucson, with his wife Sue, two dogs, and about 115,000 pages of unredacted FBI files, the result of a successful lawsuit against the Bureau. For more information, visit algerhiss.com, of which Kisseloff is managing editor.
  
  Jonathan Brent, visiting Alger Hiss Professor of History and Literature at Bard College, is a historian, publisher, translator, and writer. For 18 years (1991-2009) he was editorial director at Yale University Press where he established the Annals of Communism series. His books include Stalin’s Last Crime (2003) and Inside the Stalin Archives (2008). Brent has translated poems of Joseph Brodsky and Vladimir Mayakovsky, is currently writing a biographical study of the Russian writer, Isaac Babel, and finishing a novel. In 2009, Brent became executive director and CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, where he initiated the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections project to conserve and digitize all of YIVO’s pre-WWII collections.
  
  Post Date: 09-03-2025