David Thompson

Everything is gender

Texas A&M Bans Plato - Daily Nous Drop the race and gender material from your course and the Plato readings, or teach a different course. You have a day to decide. That's a paraphrase of what Martin Peterson, professor of philosophy a...

"I’m going to pause here just to review: an institution that purports to be a university has told a philosophy professor he is forbidden from teaching Plato."

surreal times

dailynous.com/2026/01/06/t...

A series of posts reading, from oldest at the bottom to newest at the top: alright well it's been 18 hours since the post with my name and address has been up and reported and it's still not down, so I'll probably just see if i can get this account permanently suspended for funsies now. Bluesky Head of Trust and Safety found attempting to fornicate with computer in San Francisco HQ In meeting with investors, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber announces $SKY, a cryptocurrency project utilizing users' posts

in case anyone was wondering wtf happened to @thelouvreof.bsky.social/Louvre of Bluesky: the creator got doxxed, bsky did nothing, and they decided to go out in a blaze of glory

Interview with David Thompson The narrative has its own momentum

I got interviewed by Rima Praspaliauskiene and Hallie Wells about my book, 'Where the Sun Rises Square', and how I wrote it. Thanks to both of them for the opportunity - it's available to read now! writewhatyoulike.substack.com/p/interview-...

Black and white background with the following text in yellow and magenta rectangles: Cyber week sale, 40% off sitewide, 12/1-12/8, Valid for US and CAN orders only, only titles currently in stock, no backorders, some exceptions apply; click for details, www.sup.org

We're having a cyber week sale! Take advantage of 40% off of all in-stock print and ebooks sitewide* starting today, 12/1, through Monday, 12/8.

For details: www.sup.org/about-our-cy...

Mine just came out this week! bsky.app/profile/stan...

Book cover of Where the Sun Rises Square: Mass Incarceration and the Binds of Reform in Brazil by David C. Thompson

Through long-term fieldwork within the prisons of Rio de Janeiro, Where the Sun Rises Square by David Thompson investigates the legal and moral impulse to "resocialize" as it animates the prison system of Brazil.

https://ow.ly/lR0950Xxheo

#ReadUP #anthropology

30% discount on my book (and many others!) until December 25 with the code S25AAA 📖📚 www.sup.org/books/anthro...

A slightly blurred book, 'Where the Sun Rises Square', surrounded by other books on display.

Sadly, I'm not at the AAAs this year, but my book is! Come find it at the Stanford University Press stall. #AAA2025

Where the Sun Rises Square | Stanford University Press Brazil's prison population, estimated at 90,000 in 1990, has exploded to over 650,000, the third highest in the world behind the US and China. Systematically targeting poor, Black communities, Brazil'...

Where the Sun Rises Square: Mass Incarceration and the Binds of Reform in Brazil, by David Thompson @anthrodave.bsky.social, an anthropologist and previous fellow of the DPDF and IDRF, will be published by Stanford University Press on November 25.

Learn more: www.sup.org/books/anthro...

Wow apparently there IS a better political strategy than throwing trans and Palestinian people under the bus to appease centrists.

Where the Sun Rises Square | Stanford University Press Brazil's prison population, estimated at 90,000 in 1990, has exploded to over 650,000, the third highest in the world behind the US and China. Systematically targeting poor, Black communities, Brazil'...

Happy to share the news that Wenner-Gren grant recipient, David C. Thompson has a new book available for pre-order! www.sup.org/books/anthro...

Today, common people from Penha entered the woods on one side of the mountain. The region is called Pedreira, as it is an inactive quarry.

They found 60+ dead bodies. Some with clear marks of torture. A beheaded young male. Most shot in the back and in the head.

The total count is between 121-128+

Where the Sun Rises Square: Introduction | Stanford University Press INTRODUCTIONPrison Is Just a Question of TimeHi my friend, or better yet, my new friend, David. It’s around one in the morning and I can’t sleep because of the heat, but I’ve been thinking about your ...

There's still a few weeks before my book 📚 is officially out, but you can read the intro for free right now! www.sup.org/books/anthro...

More Than Their Work - Offrange In calls to recognize immigrants as people, too often they’re reduced to what they produce and how they support our economy.

Here's me with an op-ed in Offrange about the tendency to value undocumented immigrants only for their labor ambrook.com/offrange/per...

Today!

If you missed my talks this week, I'm giving another one next Friday (17/10) hosted by ANU Anthropology and via Zoom: archanth.cass.anu.edu.au/events/if-i-...

Image shows a screenshot of the conclusion of the linked Senate inquiry submission. This text can be found on page 10. The text is too long for alt text, but here is the first three quarters of the text: Conclusion Over the past decade, Nous Group’s UniForum data has quietly taken on the status of authoritative benchmark for the quality of a range of professional and academic services performed by public universities in Australia and across the world. This authoritative status is performed through scientific-looking graphs and scientific-sounding jargon designed to imply UniForum data is generated through rigorous methods and backed by expert consensus. This performance of authority is significant: it lends UniForum data an air of credibility and facticity that makes acting upon its results irresistible. When one begins to open the black box and examine how UniForum data is actually produced, however, it becomes difficult to justify the degree to which Australian university executives are relying upon it in their decision-making. My analysis is based on a review of publicly available documents, and it is therefore possible that Nous or its clients would point to things not in the public domain that address some of the conceptual and methodological flaws that I have highlighted in UniForum. But the fact that the underlying UniForum data and methodology is not in the public domain is itself one of the key causes for concerns. When the stakes are so high, it cannot be acceptable for Nous Group and its clients to simply tell university staff and governing councils, ‘trust us, these numbers are based on rigorous methods and analysis.’ The lack of rigor, external scrutiny, and transparency in UniForum’s underlying data and methodology would be a cause for concern in any public institution, but it is especially concerning in the context of universities where rigorous, transparent, and accountable knowledge production is a core part of what we do. ...

Private consultants are taking control of how public universities are evaluated and run.

My submission to the Senate university governance inquiry raises concerns about the impact of Nous Group and their dodgy UniForum data on our universities.

www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStor...

A thread

If you missed my talks this week, I'm giving another one next Friday (17/10) hosted by ANU Anthropology and via Zoom: archanth.cass.anu.edu.au/events/if-i-...

Starting soon! (5pm Sydney)

Me opening a box filled with books. By me! That I wrote!

Book cover: ‘where the sun rises square: Mass incarceration and the binds of reform in Brazil’

It’s real!

I've created a calculator that gives you the right answer 80% of the time and I believe it will change the world

Tomorrow!

They're both hybrid events, so you can join either (or both!) via Zoom, just check the registration details.

Then the next day, 09/10, at my alma mater, Sydney University, as part of the Sydney University Research Community for Latin America: whatson.sydney.edu.au/event/93d345...

Public lecture: "If I Were His Mother": Race, Kinship and Redemption in Brazil's Prisons". Dr David Thompson. 8 October, 1:15-2:30pm, Room SR 165 and Zoom. Contact: Randi.Irwin@newcastle.edu.au with any questions or to receive a Zoom link by email.

I'm giving two talks next week about gender, race and redemption in Brazil's prisons. First up, 08/10 at the University Newcastle:

Screenshot from Sumud fleet tracker.

This is a remarkable moment.

“A country in denial. Anyway, I was born…” — Assata Shakur 🤎

Job: Assistant Professor of Latin American Literary & Cultural Studies, University of Notre Dame. Specialism in Afro Latin America (includes Brazil ). NB "Specialists of Brazil will teach in Spanish, English & Portuguese as needed." Closes 1 November 2025. Full info: joblist.mla.org/job/2000392/...

Brazilians: www.amazon.com.br/Where-Sun-Ri...