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Political Scientist Neta Crawford P’18 Leads Lunchtime Session

Neta Crawford, CSW trustee and parent of Rose’18, joined the CSW community over Zoom this week to discuss and explore the political landscape in the United States following the recent unrest at the U.S. Capitol. 
Neta Crawford, CSW trustee and parent of Rose’18, joined the CSW community over Zoom this week to discuss and explore the political landscape in the United States following the recent unrest at the U.S. Capitol. 

Neta is chair of the Political Science Department at Boston University, where Her teaching focuses on international relations theory, international ethics, and normative change. Neta received the Distinguished Scholar award from the International Ethics section of the International Studies Association in 2018. Her research interests include international relations theory, normative theory, foreign policy decision making, sanctions, peace movements, discourse ethics, post-conflict peacebuilding, research design, utopian science fiction, and emotion. 

Neta began the conversation by pointing out three things:

Force is not unusual in American politics.
Slavery, rebellions, labor unrest, and many other events in history have been quelled by the use of force. 

The apparent lack of a peaceful transition of power is unusual.
Since 1796, all transitions of power in the U.S. have been peaceful, save for assassinations. 

This is an undemocratic moment. 
Often when the U.S. is in crisis it is because there has been an attempt to expand democracy. The current movement is driven by populism. 

Students, faculty, and staff engaged in the session by asking important questions like:

  • What do those who stormed the capitol want?
  • How will current events affect the republican party?
  • Is this the beginning, middle, or end of something?
  • How prepared are the powers at be for what's to come when it comes to protecting newly elected leaders? 

CSW thanks Neta for a highly informative and engaging conversation!

CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.