Then & Now
Then & Now connects past to present, using historical analysis and context to help guide us through modern issues and policy decisions. Then & Now is brought to you by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy. This podcast is produced by David Myers and Roselyn Campbell, and features original music by Daniel Raijman.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 144
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Revisited - The Black Athlete as "Racial Project": A Conversation on Race, Politics, and Sports with Ben Carrington
In honor of Black History Month and in the midst of the Winter Olympics, we revisit this episode on the "Black Athlete" that originally aired on July 6, 2020.
From Jack Johnson to Muhammed Ali, from T…
Why are Live Guns Used on Film Sets? A Conversation on the Death of Halyna Hutchins and the Fight for Labor Rights on Set with Kate Fortmueller
On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a live round of ammunition fired by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie Rust. Her death has prompted numerous discussions abo…
Native American Studies, Land, and the Quest for Justice: A Conversation with Mishuana Goeman
This wide-ranging conversation features Professor Mishuana Goeman, Professor of Gender Studies and American Indian Studies, and the inaugural Special Advisor to the Chancellor on Native American and …
Regulating the “Oldest Profession”: A Conversation on Policy Approaches to Sex Work with Manisha Shah
Professor Manisha Shah, Franklin D. Gilliam Chair in Social Justice and director of the Global Lab for Research in Action at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, joins Then & Now producer Maia F…
Is the Age of Roe v. Wade Over? A Conversation on the Long Legal Fight over Abortion with Cary Franklin
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which addresses the constitutionality of a Mississippi law banning abortion after 1…
Deadlock in Israel-Palestine: How to Imagine a Better Future? Part 1
This week's episode features the recording of the three part webinar series organized by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy in partnership with the USC Casden Institute for the Study of th…
Revisited - Distinct Histories, Shared Struggles: A Conversation with Prof. Kyle Mays about Indigenous Peoples Day
This revisited episode originally aired on October 12th, 2020, marking Indigenous Peoples Day. Professor Kyle T. Mays, historian and scholar of Afro-Indigenous studies, urban history, and Indigenous …
Vaccine Mandates Past and Present: A Conversation with Dorit Reiss
In recent months, there has been a raging debate over whether the state--or private actors--can require vaccine mandates. Some resisters claim that such a mandate stands in opposition to their relig…
What is Afropessimism? A Conversation with Frank Wilderson
This episode of Then & Now features a conversation with Frank B. Wilderson III, Chancellor's Professor of African American Studies at UC Irvine and author of the book Afropessimism. The conversation…
Leadership, Legacy, and Looking Ahead: A Conversation with Mayor Eric Garcetti
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joins this special episode in conversation with former LA County Supervisor and LCHP Board Member Zev Yaroslavsky. Mayor Garcetti reflects on his tenure as mayor, disc…
What We Knew Then and What We Know Now: A Conversation about the COVID-19 Pandemic with Dr. Sharon Balter
Dr. Sharon Balter, the Director of the Acute Communicable Disease Control Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, has had a busy 18 months. She joins then & now to discuss how …
A Firsthand Account of a California Recall Election: A Conversation with Governor Gray Davis
Gray Davis, the 37th Governor of the State of California, is uniquely positioned to comment on the current effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. He kicks off Season 2 of then & now by discussing hi…
Revisited - Political Polarization, Civility, and Deliberative Democracy: A Conversation with Carolyn Lukensmeyer
Whether discussing COVID-19 vaccinations with different people, reading two different news sites, or merely glancing at any given Twitter feed, one might think that Americans across the country live…
Revisited - How did Los Angeles become the “Homeless Capital” of the United States?
UCLA researchers and graduate students Marques Vestal, Fernanda Jahn Verri, and Andrew Klein join Then & Now to discuss the Luskin Center for History and Policy's research report detailing the histor…
Revisited - How Endangered is the Right to Vote? A Conversation on the Past and Future of Voting Rights in the United States with Franita Tolson
Months after the national election and despite numerous judicial decisions to the contrary, many Americans still believe the election was stolen from Donald Trump. In recent weeks various state legis…
Revisited - The Banality of Evil and the Murder of George Floyd: A Conversation with Robin Kelley
Political philosopher Hannah Arendt famously argued - in the case of SS officer Adolf Eichmann - that ordinary people can easily become complicit in evil acts as part of a larger system of injustice …
Reimagining the American West: A Conversation with Autry Museum CEO Stephen Aron
This week’s episode features Stephen Aron, outgoing UCLA historian and incoming CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West. Dr. Aron discussed the origins and persistence of the idea of the Western…
Fighting the First Wave: A Conversation on the Global Pandemic with Peter Baldwin
As California lifts longtime public health restrictions and life in parts of the United States begin returning to a semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy, it is important to recall the unfolding crises …
Déjà Vu All Over Again? Assessing the State of Affairs in Israel-Palestine with Three Leading Experts on Middle Eastern Affairs
This special three-part episode of Then & Now features three experts in Middle East history and politics who examine multiple dimensions of the recent outbreak of violence in Israel and Palestine. Th…
U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Changes in the Neoliberal Age
UCLA undergraduate students Firyal Bawab and Mariam Aref Mahmoud and graduate student Phil Hoffman join Then & Now to discuss their forthcoming report on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. They …