David Eichert

Quaint mountain valley

Quick weekend trip to the French Alps. Beautiful views & a lot of hills to climb! ⛰️

Today, in the databases of #justice:

Ah, the "much-awaited [REDACTED]" which "confirm [REDACTED] particularly in the [REDACTED].

The life of trial (half)observation(?)

Also I was pretty confused by the book's subtitle ("the Necessity of Violence") until I got to the final section and the author just straight up cites Fanon. Then it ties together very poetically 💣

A picture of the book copy, displaying the title "Babel: On the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution"

I just finished "Babel" by RF Kuang and cannot recommend it enough. Get yourself a copy! Assign it in your politics classes!

Catsitting a cat on a diet... She's not happy about the arrangement 😭

"We should reject this consensus. A closer look at the experiences of immigrants should lead us to the conclusion that First World nations have no right to exclude Third World migrants, including the unauthorized economic migrants that dominate contemporary political debates. This claim, that countries like the United States have no right to exclude migrants like those from Central America, will seem radical to many. But it is a corollary of the past and present relationship between, on the one hand, powerful nations like the United States, which advance their national interests extraterritorially, and, on the other, the peoples in the Third World that they subordinate. Third and First World peoples are not political strangers. Due to neocolonial and other forms of imperial interconnection, they are bound in a relationship of co-sovereignty that makes Third World peoples political insiders to First World nation-states."

Really vibing with this article from E. Tendayi Achiume: "The Postcolonial Case for Rethinking Borders"

www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...

Pride crowd next to the Louvre

Cardboard sign saying "Decolonize queerness, resist pinkwashing"

I'm a big fan of Pride here in France. There's basically no corporate sponsorship & you can join the parade for as long as you want, wave signs, then go cool off in a café with lovely people. Happy Pride! 🌈🥰✊

The Mamdani election has our household of 2 political scientists buzzing this morning. @hbouvard.bsky.social, as an expert on NYC politics, is excitedly looking through electoral maps.

Meanwhile I cited Mamdani's dad twice in my dissertation, so in my head we're basically best friends. 🎉

These States Are Debating Castration for Sex Crimes. Experts Call It Cruel and Pointless. Critics say there’s no evidence that castration prevents future sex offenses. Yet several states are weighing such measures.

Castration — both reversible and permanent — does lead to the reduction of testosterone and a diminished libido.

But “there is literally no evidence that testosterone is the driving factor of individuals committing crimes of a sexual nature,” said a senior analyst with the Sentencing Project.

This is so utterly cool. 👇"Our approach draws inspiration from Owens’ (2018) seminal article... Building on her method of analyzing thinkers’ engagement through book indexes, we introduce an original tool to assess a work’s interaction with a global....

This is the ultimate "you had to be there" moment... I made a joke about the windows during class once and got *zero* laughs!

FYI - I'm speaking to the @ibvprev.bsky.social Atrocity Prevention Knowledge Exchange on 24 June (2:30pmGMT or 9:30EST)

Topic: how legal, medical, & diplomatic practices determine who is/isn't counted as a victim of conflict-related sexual violence

RVSP to farida.mostafa@protectionapproaches.org !

Part of a poem by Anzaldúa: This is my home this thin edge of barbwire. But the skin of the earth is seamless. The sea cannot be fenced. el mar does not stop at borders. To show the white man what she thought of his arrogance, Yemaya blew that wire fence down. This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is. And will be again.

Gloria Anzaldúa, "Borderlands"

(re: Los Angeles protests) ✊

A bunch of cool people doing a "silly photo" next to the university trashcans

Done with the semester! I took one final goodbye picture with some of my students (who were surprisingly willing to talk to me even after the final exam)!

I'm now fully unemployed with a briefcase full of lesson plans, so reach out if you need me in the fall!

1. How Do They Militarize a Can of Soup? 1. How Do They Militarize a Can of Soup? was published in Maneuvers on page 1.

Finally, Enloe's classic "How Do They Militarize a Can of Soup?," read in conjunction with Clausewitz, to question if war is an extension of politics or just made to look like it is!

www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

The Problems of Genocide Cambridge Core - Regional History after 1500 - The Problems of Genocide

"The Problems of Genocide" by @dirkmoses.bsky.social is an excellent conversation starter to get students to move beyond "is it genocide?" towards more interesting questions about the political meaning(s) of "genocide" --

www.cambridge.org/core/books/p...

The Continuum of Violence: A Gender Perspective on War and Peace Abstract. This chapter suggests that a gender perspective on the successive moments in the flux of peace and war is not an optional extra but a stark neces

Cynthia Cockburn's "Continuum of Violence" also really resonated with students -- why can "war" end but "violence" continue for marginalized groups?

academic.oup.com/california-s...

The Seductions of Quantification We live in a world where seemingly everything can be measured. We rely on indicators to translate social phenomena into simple, quantified terms, which in turn can be used to guide individuals, organi...

Sally Engle Merry's "The Seductions of Quantification" -- a great conversation starter for how to count wartime violence and why it feels important:

press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

No War, No Peace: Why So Many Peace Processes Fail to Deliver Peace Download Citation | No War, No Peace: Why So Many Peace Processes Fail to Deliver Peace | Many societies emerging from civil war can be described as experiencing ‘no war, no peace’ situations. Despite...

"No War No Peace" by @rogermacginty.bsky.social -- by far the most cited by students during their oral exams. We started the semester questioning if "war" and "peace" were the only two options in world politics, and (spoiler) they weren't!
www.researchgate.net/publication/...

The semester is ending here in Paris & I'm looking back on what worked best. In case anyone needs some syllabus help or summer reading, here are a few great readings from my IR/history course on "War and Peace" 🕊️

During and after today's hailstorm in Paris. Almost every surface is covered in melting ice and broken branches!

Currently starstruck listening to this queer law book event in Melbourne. It's such a power move to get some of the coolest & smartest people all in one room to launch THREE books. Congrats to @senthorun.bsky.social, @claerwen.bsky.social, @dsheikh.bsky.social, @juliadehm.bsky.social, etc! 🌈

David + students on a grassy patch next to the Seine

Great weather in Paris = time to do class outside!

Yes the world is falling apart, but talking about post-colonial feminism next to the Seine is a welcome distraction 🇫🇷

I'm happy to announce that I made it through an entire lecture on transgender politics without ONCE referencing that one Emilia Perez song. Please clap.

Hey hi, your friendly reminder than doom posting or scrolling, cynic posting, will rot your brain and kill your capacity for hope

What have you done today to do the opposite? Rest? Build community? Mutual aid? Check in with someone? Set an app timer?

Mumford & Sons performing in Paris, March 2025

Important 2025 update: Mumford & Sons can still make white people dance with their banjo music

(I am white people) 🪕🥳

My very talented friend is finally releasing her masterpiece! Don't miss out!

Last day! Send us your best ideas! ✨

Thank you! This is perfect!