Tag Archives: Political Science department

Best by or on Fénelon

François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon (1651-1715) was a major intellectual figure known for his writings on spiritual life, political philosophy, and education. Boston College Professor of Political Science Ryan Patrick Hanley, a specialist on the political philosophy of the … Continue reading

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Realism and uncertainty in world politics

In his book An Unwritten Future: Realism and Uncertainty in World Politics (Princeton University Press, 2022), Boston College Professor of Political Science and International Studies Jonathan Kirshner offers a fresh reassessment of classical realism and reveals how this enduring approach—and not … Continue reading

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The rise and influence of teachers unions

Despite being all but nonexistent until the 1960s, teachers unions are maintaining members, assets—and political influence while other American labor organizations struggle for survival and relevance in the 21st century. In the new book, How Policies Make Interest Groups: Governments, … Continue reading

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The rise of distrust

What does rising distrust and polarization mean for the functioning of society? What happens to nonpolitical institutions when a loss of trust and partisan divide hamper their abilities to meet common challenges and solve shared problems? The current issue of … Continue reading

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Educational policy reform in Ireland

As calls for further reducing the role of the Catholic Church in Irish primary schools gains traction in a rapidly evolving Irish society, The Politics of Irish Primary Education: Reform in an Era of Secularisation (Peter Lang, 2022) demonstrates how the … Continue reading

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From Beirut to Belfast

Czar Alexei Sepe, a 2021 Boston College graduate who majored in political science and history, has turned his senior thesis into a book, From Beirut to Belfast: How Power-Sharing Arrangements affect Ethnic Tensions in Post-Conflict Societies. Sepe uses Northern Ireland … Continue reading

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Alliance politics

Accommodative wedge strategy, a form of divisive statecraft and diplomacy designed to isolate adversaries from allies and potential supporters through inducements, is a powerful tool in the international politics arsenal. In his new book, The Power to Divide: Wedge Strategies … Continue reading

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The end of religious empires and the rise of the modern state

Coping with Defeat: Sunni Islam, Roman Catholicism, and the Modern State (Princeton University Press, 2021), a new book by Boston College Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence, explores the surprising similarities in the rise and fall of the Islamic and … Continue reading

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Catherine the Great, a Dutch Golden Age masterpiece, and a shipwreck

In 1771, a merchant ship out of Amsterdam, Vrouw Maria, crashed off the stormy Finnish coast, taking her historic cargo to the depths of the Baltic Sea. The vessel was delivering a dozen Dutch masterpiece paintings—including The Nursery by Rembrandt’s … Continue reading

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White House whistleblower

Miles Taylor, whose 2018 anonymous opinion piece in The New York Times provided insight into the chaos and instability in President Trump’s administration as well as the efforts of some insiders to work against the president’s alleged recklessness, will present “Why … Continue reading

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