Then & Now

Jan 08 2025 125 ep. 47 mins 47
Then & Now Podcast artwork

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. Then & Now is produced by David Myers and Roselyn Campbell, and features original music by Daniel Raijman.

  History  Government  Education
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The Epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: A Conversation with Shannon Speed

Jan 08 2025 31 mins  
**Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual and domestic violence. In this week’s episode of then & now, LCHP Assistant Director Dr. Rose Campbell is joined by Dr. Shannon Speed to discuss systemic violence against Indigenous women. According to a 2016 study, Indigenous women are 10 times more likely to be kidnapped or murdered than almost any other populati

Continuity and Change: The Fairfax District and What it Tells us about LA. A Conversation with Stephanie Zager, Michaela Esposito, and Ella Kitt

Dec 18 2024 41 mins  
In this week’s episode of then & now, UCLA undergraduates Stephanie Zager, Michaela Esposito, and Ella Kitt join us to discuss the results of their LCHP report on the evolution of the Fairfax District in Los Angeles. The three researchers chronicle the district's rise and decline against the backdrop of the inevitable ebbs and flows of urban change. Influenced by migration pa

Unpacking the 2024 Election: Trendlines and Developments in California Politics. A Conversation with Raphael Sonenshein and Zev Yaroslavsky

Dec 04 2024 52 mins  
This week’s episode of then & now is the second in a series exploring the historical backdrop to and consequences of the 2024 election. Joining us are Raphael Sonenshein, a nationally recognized expert on racial and ethnic politics in California and Los Angeles, and Zev Yaroslavsky, one of Los Angeles's best-known public officials. This episode begins by continuing the discus

Unpacking the 2024 Election: Trends, Tensions, and Transformations. A Conversation with Lynn Vavreck

Nov 20 2024 45 mins  
In this week’s episode of then & now, we explore the 2024 presidential election and try to understand the enduring impact of a political realignment that began with Donald Trump’s rise in 2016. Joining us is Professor Lynn Vavreck, a UCLA professor and leading expert on U.S. elections. Professor Vavreck explores how Trump’s victories in 2016 and 2024 reflect a seismic shi

Why History Matters: Reproductive Rights and Justice

Nov 13 2024 80 mins  
In this week’s episode of then & now, we present a recording of a recent event hosted by the UCLA History Department, "Why History Matters: Reproductive Rights and Justice." This event brought together experts to explore the far-reaching effects of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022. Hosted by Kevin Terraciano, the conversation delves int

Reproductive Justice on the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Conversation With Lina-Maria Murillo

Nov 06 2024 41 mins  
In this week’s episode of then & now, we delve into the complex history of reproductive justice in El Paso, Texas, a key city along the U.S.-Mexico border that has shaped broader conversations around race, health, and community care. Guest interviewer Professor Elizabeth O’Brien speaks with Professor Lina-Maria Murillo, a leading scholar in reproductive justice whose resear

Reproductive Healthcare, Religion, and Inequality in Brazil and Beyond: A Conversation with Cassia Roth

Oct 23 2024 40 mins  
The topic of reproductive healthcare and access to abortion has emerged as a pivotal point in the weeks and months leading up to the 2024 presidential election in the U.S. In this week's episode of then & now, our guest interviewer Professor Elizabeth O’Brien speaks with Professor Cassia Roth, a historian of Society, Environment, and Health Equity at the University of Califor

How Mathematics Shaped the Great Grid of America: A Conversation with Amir Alexander

Oct 09 2024 41 mins  
Welcome back to then & now! To kick off our 5th season, we are joined by Professor Amir Alexander, a historian of mathematics in UCLA’s Luskin Department of History. His latest book, Liberty’s Grid, examines how Founding Father Thomas Jefferson transformed early America into a mathematical landscape. Jefferson’s vision of an empty, gridded space was intended to create a f

From AMLO to Claudia: Mexico Elects a Woman President: A Conversation with Leila Miller

Jun 26 2024 33 mins  
In this week's episode of then & now we explore a landmark moment in Mexican politics: the election of Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo as the country's first female president at the beginning of June 2024. Environmental scientist Sheinbaum secured a decisive victory, succeeding the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.Joining us is Leila Miller, a seasoned former correspond

Under the Heat Dome: A Conversation about Thermal Inequality with Bharat Venkat

Jun 12 2024 51 mins  
2023 marked the hottest year recorded in human history, with predictions indicating a worsening global trend. In early June 2024, southern California experienced an extreme heat dome, with temperatures rising into the triple digits. Currently, heat alerts affect over 16 million people across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. This escalating situation is not confine