Arts and Humanities
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Dr. Genny Beemyn – Dr. Abbie Goldberg | Beyond the Binary: A New Generation’s Approach to Gender
In the Autumn of 2022, hopeful college students across the United States clicked through the questions on the Common Application, the digital gateway to more than one thousand colleges and universities. For the first time, alongside their grades, essays, and extracurricular lists, applicants had the chance to provide their gender and pronouns. These questions might seem a small detail, tucked between test scores and teacher recommendations, but their impact is enormous. They mark a turning point in higher education, one where students are able to represent themselves more authentically. Thanks to the work of Dr. Genny Beemyn of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Dr. Abbie Goldberg of Clark University, we now have the first large-scale glimpse into how a new generation of young people is reshaping society’s understanding of gender.

Tanja Oschatz | Factors that Sustain the Gendered Pleasure Gap: Gendered Media Representations of Sexual Pleasure and Women’s Performance of Sexual Emotional Labor
Despite decades of awareness about gender equality, a persistent pleasure gap remains between women and men in sexual encounters, with women experiencing significantly fewer orgasms and less sexual pleasure. It is important to note that this gender difference exists primarily in contexts where women have sex with men, while women who have sex with women tend to experience more orgasms and sexual pleasure. Since the gendered pleasure gap cannot be explained by biological factors, researchers continue investigating hidden sociocultural forces that perpetuate this inequality. Two complementary studies from Tanja Oschatz at Johannes Gutenberg University and her colleagues reveal previously overlooked contributors to this gap: women’s performance of sexual emotional labor in intimate relationships and biased media representations of sexual pleasure.

Dr. Osei Appiah | How Political Identity Trumps Racial Identity in Cross-Race Conversations About Sensitive Topics
Research from communication scholars at The Ohio State University reveals fascinating new insights about the dynamics of conversations about race-related issues in the USA. Two complementary studies show that White participants expected more negative outcomes and were more likely to avoid conversations with fellow White people from different political parties than with Black people from different parties. The findings challenge assumptions about racial identity and suggest that partisan divisions have become more influential than racial divisions in shaping willingness to engage in difficult conversations.

Professor Juliane Reinecke – Professor Jimmy Donaghey | How Deliberate Ambiguity Built One of the World’s Most Successful Worker Safety Initiatives
Research from Professor Juliane Reinecke at the University of Oxford and Professor Jimmy Donaghey at the University of South Australia reveals how strategic ambiguity in international agreements can paradoxically strengthen rather than weaken collective action. Their eight-year study of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety demonstrates how deliberately vague language that initially enables difficult negotiations can evolve into robust, expanding commitments that exceed original expectations.

Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg – Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert | How Human Rights Laws and Economic Competitiveness Can Co-Exist
Research from Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg at the University of Glasgow and Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert at the University of Zurich reveals how France’s groundbreaking mandatory due diligence law defied business predictions of economic harm. Through analysis of 11,504 French companies over fifteen years, their study demonstrates that requiring firms to monitor human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains had no significant impact on profitability. Their findings challenge widespread industry claims that such regulations threaten competitiveness and provide crucial evidence for policymakers considering similar legislation worldwide.

Prof. Gerhard Schurz | Solving the Logical Conundrum of Inductive Inferences
In the 18th century, Scottish philosopher David Hume posed a confounding question about the nature of the scientific method. By questioning the logic behind making predictions based on past observations, he exposed a fundamental problem that has vexed logicians to this day. But now, through a new analysis, philosophers Prof. Gerhard Schurz and Dr. Paul Thorn at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf offer a fresh perspective – one that could finally help us escape Hume’s logical trap, through a concept known as regret-based meta-induction.

Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase – Dr. Ashley English – Dr. Julie O’Neil | How Municipal Communication Failures Perpetuate Systemic Racism
Communication research from Texas Christian University reveals how the killing of Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth exposed fundamental failures in how cities listen to Black residents. Through in-depth interviews and a national survey, Dr. Ashley English, Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase and Dr. Julie O’Neil demonstrate that meaningful organizational listening requires not just hearing community voices, but implementing changes based on their input. Their findings show that without authentic engagement and accountability, municipal listening processes perpetuate rather than disrupt systemic racism.

Dr. Angel Ford – Dr. Daniel Alemneh | Amplifying Global Voices: The Fight for Fairness in Scholarly Communication
In our increasingly interconnected world, sharing knowledge freely and fairly is crucial for ongoing development and progress. Increasing the overall size of our store of knowledge is important in dealing with the challenges we face in the modern world, but determining who can access and add to that knowledge is a key question. Prestigious academic journals and global conferences aim to help disseminate our most important discoveries and innovations, but researchers do not have equal access to such resources to promote their ideas and consequently not all voices are heard equally. Scholars from low- and middle-income countries continue to face invisible walls that limit their participation in the global exchange of ideas. This systemic imbalance is the focus of a deeply insightful study by Dr. Angel Ford of the University at Albany and Dr. Daniel Alemneh of the University of North Texas, who call for a more just and healthier scholarly communication system.

Dr Aikaterini-Christina Koula | How the law is used to silence Human Rights Defenders
Research from Dr Aikaterini-Christina Koula at Manchester Metropolitan University reveals how legal systems are increasingly being weaponized to silence human rights defenders, particularly in Europe. Her work introduces a taxonomy of violations perpetrated through the legal system and demonstrates how these tactics deviate from human rights standards, offering valuable insights for academics, practitioners, and defenders alike.

Professor Germaine A. Hoston | How Traditional Chinese Philosophy Shaped Modern Revolutionary Thought
Research from Professor Germaine A. Hoston at the University of California, San Diego, reveals how traditional Chinese philosophical idealism influenced the development of Chinese Marxism. Her findings demonstrate that despite their rejection of China’s feudal past, key Chinese Marxist theorists like Li Dazhao and Mao Zedong incorporated elements of Neo-Confucian idealism into their revolutionary philosophy. This “sinification” of Marxism drew particularly on concepts of consciousness, will, and the unity of knowledge and action from traditional Chinese thought, creating a uniquely Chinese revolutionary philosophy that challenged Soviet economic determinism.

Professor Tristan Nighswander – Professor Ariel Roddy | Mixed Signals: Employment Training Outcomes for Previously Incarcerated Individuals
Research from Professors Tristan Nighswander and Ariel Roddy at Northern Arizona University examines the effects of pre-employment training on employment outcomes for previously incarcerated individuals through the lens of two economic theories. Their findings reveal that while training significantly improves employment outcomes for the general population, it shows no meaningful benefit for those with incarceration histories. Even more surprisingly, high-ability individuals (defined through scores on an aptitude test called the Armed Forces Qualification Test, or the AFQT) with past incarceration may actually experience negative employment effects. This highlights the complex challenges of societal re-entry.

Defending Authentic Leadership: A Response to Critical Claims
A recent paper from Professor William Gardner at Texas Tech University and Professor Kelly Davis McCauley at West Texas A&M University challenges a critique that characterized authentic leadership theory as “wrong” and “perilous.” Their analysis demonstrates how misrepresentations of the theory can undermine valuable leadership approaches, while highlighting the empirical support and practical benefits of leaders striving for authenticity in organizational settings.

Dr. Genny Beemyn – Dr. Abbie Goldberg | Beyond the Binary: A New Generation’s Approach to Gender
In the Autumn of 2022, hopeful college students across the United States clicked through the questions on the Common Application, the digital gateway to more than one thousand colleges and universities. For the first time, alongside their grades, essays, and extracurricular lists, applicants had the chance to provide their gender and pronouns. These questions might seem a small detail, tucked between test scores and teacher recommendations, but their impact is enormous. They mark a turning point in higher education, one where students are able to represent themselves more authentically. Thanks to the work of Dr. Genny Beemyn of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Dr. Abbie Goldberg of Clark University, we now have the first large-scale glimpse into how a new generation of young people is reshaping society’s understanding of gender.

Tanja Oschatz | Factors that Sustain the Gendered Pleasure Gap: Gendered Media Representations of Sexual Pleasure and Women’s Performance of Sexual Emotional Labor
Despite decades of awareness about gender equality, a persistent pleasure gap remains between women and men in sexual encounters, with women experiencing significantly fewer orgasms and less sexual pleasure. It is important to note that this gender difference exists primarily in contexts where women have sex with men, while women who have sex with women tend to experience more orgasms and sexual pleasure. Since the gendered pleasure gap cannot be explained by biological factors, researchers continue investigating hidden sociocultural forces that perpetuate this inequality. Two complementary studies from Tanja Oschatz at Johannes Gutenberg University and her colleagues reveal previously overlooked contributors to this gap: women’s performance of sexual emotional labor in intimate relationships and biased media representations of sexual pleasure.

Dr. Osei Appiah | How Political Identity Trumps Racial Identity in Cross-Race Conversations About Sensitive Topics
Research from communication scholars at The Ohio State University reveals fascinating new insights about the dynamics of conversations about race-related issues in the USA. Two complementary studies show that White participants expected more negative outcomes and were more likely to avoid conversations with fellow White people from different political parties than with Black people from different parties. The findings challenge assumptions about racial identity and suggest that partisan divisions have become more influential than racial divisions in shaping willingness to engage in difficult conversations.

Professor Juliane Reinecke – Professor Jimmy Donaghey | How Deliberate Ambiguity Built One of the World’s Most Successful Worker Safety Initiatives
Research from Professor Juliane Reinecke at the University of Oxford and Professor Jimmy Donaghey at the University of South Australia reveals how strategic ambiguity in international agreements can paradoxically strengthen rather than weaken collective action. Their eight-year study of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety demonstrates how deliberately vague language that initially enables difficult negotiations can evolve into robust, expanding commitments that exceed original expectations.

Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg – Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert | How Human Rights Laws and Economic Competitiveness Can Co-Exist
Research from Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg at the University of Glasgow and Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert at the University of Zurich reveals how France’s groundbreaking mandatory due diligence law defied business predictions of economic harm. Through analysis of 11,504 French companies over fifteen years, their study demonstrates that requiring firms to monitor human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains had no significant impact on profitability. Their findings challenge widespread industry claims that such regulations threaten competitiveness and provide crucial evidence for policymakers considering similar legislation worldwide.
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