The Clarke Forum For Contemporary Issues

Clarke Forum Student Project Manager Supasinee Siripun ’27 sits down with Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education at the American University and founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, to discuss her book, “Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism.” Read more

Student Project Manager Jad Jamaleddine interviews Scott MacFarlane following the Clarke Forum program “The First Amendment and This Moment: Journalism and Law,” presented by the Clarke Forum and the Office of the President. In the interview, MacFarlane, who is anchor of Scott MacFarlane Reports and chief Washington correspondent for MeidasTouch Network, answers questions that follow his January 6 reporting, his transition from CBS news to MeidasTouch Network, freedom of press and speech on college campuses specifically citing the ongoing reporting on the case that has swept the nation at Cornell University. Read more

Student Project Manager Ian Chavez ’28 interviews Neta Pulvermacher, an Israeli/American Choreographer, Dancer, Director and a Professor of Dance at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (JAMD). They discuss her journey creating her performance of The Archive. The interview explores Pulvermacher’s creative process, family history, and inspiration for her art Read more

Student project manager Phineas Lumpkin interviews Dr. Beronda L. Montgomery ahead of the Clarke Forum program “When Trees Testify: Learning From and With Trees,” presented by the Clarke Forum and the Morgan Lecture Fund, held in conjunction with the Trout Gallery exhibition Branch: Trees in American Art. Montgomery is a plant biologist, science communicator, and professor at Grinnell College. She is the author of two books, Lessons from Plants (2021) and her newest, When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy (2026), which examines how seven trees and the cotton shrub are intertwined with Black history and culture. In the interview, Montgomery considers how her path in plant biology led her to the connections between plants and Black history, key takeaways from her book, and what she hopes to explore next. Read more

Student Project Manager Ian Chavez ’28 interviews Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, a professor in women’s studies and professor of sociology and gender and sexuality studies at Princeton University. They discuss the migrant labor system of kafala in the Middle East. The interview explores the economic, political, and social factors that perpetuate this system, and explore an alternative viewpoint of the kafala system proposed by Professor Parreñas’s book: Unfree: Migrant Domestic Work in Arab States Read more

Dr. Jane E. Calvert of the John Dickinson Writings Project discusses how teaching history has changed throughout the decades and the complexities of digital humanities. She also goes into detail to dispel misconceptions of Dickinson, highlighting his revolutionary ideas on equality, his influence on early United States foreign policy, and his Quaker background. This interview was conducted by Sarah Ruschak ’27, Clarke Forum student project co-supervisor. Read more

Student Project Manager Maggie Maston ’28 interviews Norma Kawelokū Wong, Zen Master, Native Hawaiian, and political strategist. Norma reflects on the methods and lessons she has gained through years of bridging divide and fostering collaboration. Looking ahead, she shares her perspective on how evolving technology and communication are shaping the future, as well as her personal response to the demands of modern life. She also offers a deeper look into her practice at the Rinzai Zen temple, Daihonzan Chozen-ji. Read more

Student Project Manager Maggie Maston ’28 interviews David L. McMahan, Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin & Marshall College. Spanning ancient Buddhist scripture to the present day, McMahan explores how Buddhism has evolved over centuries into its many contemporary forms. He discusses how his personal interest in the subject led him to a career in academia, as well as how he approaches teaching Buddhism in the college classroom. Finally, McMahan shares insight into the creation and inspiration behind his mixed-media collage work. Read more

Student Project Manager Ella Layton ’26 interviews Mayanthi Fernando, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In the conversation, Fernando discusses where laïcité or secularism in France draws the line on public displays of religion differently than in the United States. The wearing of veils by Muslim women in France is such a national controversy because it disrupts the French republic’s ideal that religion should not interfere with so-called public order. The marginalization, culturally and federally, these women experience is aggravated by the long ideological tradition of racialization of Islam and North Africans. This interview concludes with Professor Fernando stating that change must happen at a local level, centering difficult dialogue and uncomfortable conversations to move towards a religiously diverse French republic. Read more

Student Project Manager Ian Chavez ’28 interviews Matthew Turpin, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institute and former director for China on the U.S. National Security Council. They discuss the current U.S.-China relationship and explore the challenges to cooperation between the two superpowers. The interview explores the economic, political, and military factors that complicate the relationship and evaluate the effectiveness of current U.S. policy. Read more