Disruption vs. Stability: Impacts on People and Policy Under a New Republican Majority

A panel discussion featuring: 

Bruce Blonigen, Edward Maletis Dean of the Lundquist College of Business and Philip H. Knight Professor of Social Science, on economy/tariffs  Melissa Buis, professor of politics and chair of the Politics, Policy, Law and Ethics Department at Willamette University, on health and welfare  Peter DeFazio, former U.S. representative for Oregon's 4th congressional district, on Congress  Greg Dotson, associate professsor of law at UO, on climate/energy Alison Gash, professor of political science at UO, on LGBT health/safety  Chandler James, assistant professor of political science at UO, on the Presidency  Daniel Tichenor, Philip H. Knight Chair of Social Science and Wayne Morse Center codirector, on immigration

Part of the Wayne Morse Center's 2023-25 theme of inquiry, Defending Democracy. 

Understanding the Latina/o Right

Cecilia Márquez is the Hunt Family Assistant Professor in History at Duke University. Her research focuses on the history of Latinxs in the U.S. South from 1940-present. Márquez writes and teaches about the formation of Latinx identity, Latinx social movements, and the importance of region in shaping Latinx identity. Her work has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. She is the author of Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation.

Sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center as part of its 2023-25 theme, Defending Democracy. Cosponsored by the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies and the Department of History.

Finding Hope in Dark Times for Democracy

Frances Moore Lappé is a social justice activist and the author of 20 books, including Diet for a Small Planet, which sold millions of copies and was named as one of 75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World by the Women's National Book Association. Her most recent works focus on “living democracy”—suggesting not only a government accountable to citizens but a way of living aligned with the deep human need for connection, meaning, and power. Among many awards, she has received the James Beard Humanitarian Award, the International Studies Association's 2009 Outstanding Public Scholar Award, the Nonino Prize in Italy for her life's work, and 20 honorary doctorates.

Can Nonprofit Organizations Do Political and Policy Advocacy? Nonprofits and Politics in Comparative Perspective

Recent controversies in the United States and other countries have involved nonprofit organizations that are involved in political advocacy and political activities. In this talk Mark Sidel, a specialist in these issues, discusses how the United States and several other countries try to set policy and law on the extent of nonprofit political advocacy and activities.

Mark Sidel is Doyle-Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an elected member of the American Law Institute. He serves on the boards of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, the China Medical Board, The Rights Practice (US), and other organizations. 

Cosponsored by University of Oregon’s Department of Anthropology; Department of Global Studies; Global Studies Institute; School of Planning, Public Policy and Management; and US-Vietnam Research Center.

Morse Bookmarks: The Political Development of American Debt Relief

Chloe Thurston, Northwestern; and Emily Zackin, Johns Hopkins; will discuss their forthcoming book. The Political Development of American Debt Relief traces how geographic, sectoral, and racial politics shaped debtor activism over time, enhancing our understanding of state-building, constitutionalism, and social policy.

Bob Bussel Labor History Lecture

Will Jones, professor of history at the University of Minnesota, will deliver the Bob Bussel Labor History Lecture on April 24, 2025.

The UO Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) created the lecture in recognition of Bob Bussel’s years of service as LERC’s director and an affiliated member of the UO history department.  The lecture features historians with a distinguished record of scholarship, a commitment to public history, and an interest in labor and working-class issues.  Will Jones is a professor of history at the University of Minnesota with a particular interest in issues of race and class.  Professor Jones is the author of two books and numerous articles on labor and working-class history.  He is also a past president of the Labor and Working-Class History Association.

Wayne Morse Chair Address featuring Danielle Allen

Danielle Allen, 2024-25 Wayne Morse Chair, is a political theorist, professor at Harvard University and an advocate for democracy. Her acclaimed book, Our Declaration, offers a profound analysis of American democratic principles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Allen contributed crucial insights on equitable policy responses and effective governance. Allen recieved the Kluge Prize, which recognizes work in disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes, in 2020. In 2022, she ran for Governor of Massachusetts, emphasizing the need for systemic reform and inclusivity in state government. She writes a column on constitutional democracy for the Washington Post.