This paper analyzes the presence and influence of Africa in French hip-hop music over time, giving particular emphasis to recent years where the continent has motivated deeper connections and more meaningful manifestations of one’s heritage culture in songs and video presentations by popular artists. Contemporary rappers in France have been linguistically and stylistically shifting their sounds away from trends present in the United States as they increasingly focus their attention toward the African continent as a way to celebrate the duality of their bicultural identity. This international and transnational musical alteration of their sound toward Africa provides them and their fans much needed comfort against the marginalization that they face at home in France. Thus, these contemporary thematic types of transnational musical shout-outs to the African continent provide rappers and their consumers hailing from ethnocultural communities a means in which to confront the racism and exclusion they face in a country where youths of color are frequently viewed with suspicion and where issues relating their unique diverse social constructs are routinely ignored or dismissed by the French State.

Existing studies on the Myanmar-Rohingyan crisis have explored the contending issues from a narrow perspective. This underscores the need for broader engagement by interrogating the veracity of the claims of mass atrocities against the Rohingyans, nonauthorization of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), and implications for consolidating and internalizing the RtoP norm. This study argues that, while the acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing against the Rohingyans satisfies four of the crimes upon which RtoP can be authorized, its nonauthorization suggests that in spite of its commitment to “Never Again,” the international community is yet to come to terms with issues bordering on mass atrocity and civilian protection. This inaction amidst widespread atrocities against the Rohingyans explains why the RtoP is not only contested, but also risks the chances of further nonutilization and institutionalization. Thus, the possibility that the RtoP would remain valuable depends on how the international criminal court and the global community prosecute those culpable of atrocities against the Rohingyans, adopt a clear rule of establishing when mass atrocity has been perpetuated and demand RtoP intervention, and ensure that these interventions are guided by the principle of Jus in Bellum and Jus ad Bello .

Politics of patronage based on primordial identity is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria. The impact of such patterns of politicking has been obviously untoward. This study interrogates the apparent manifestation of ethno-clannish patronage in the politics of political appointments under Muhammadu Buhari’s civilian administration (2015-date). Relying on a descriptive analysis of secondary data, as well as a selective application of prebendal theory, the study observes that members of Buhari’s ethno-communal grouping tend to have been favored rather disproportionately in terms of the allotment of political appointments at the federal level. The study posits that such an ethno-clannish posture smacks of the politics of exclusion, which negates the spirit of national integration. The study further contends that not only had President Buhari favored his kinsmen and tribesmen in his appointments, but he has also appointed many of his family relations into strategic positions, thus entrenching nepotism in the process of statecraft. The study submits that such an approach to statecraft holds negative implications for good governance and national integration in Nigeria.

The author revisits Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” from April of 1963 to better appreciate the “radical” King and his critique of the “moral” principles of white moderates within the context of the recent events of this past year.

A commentary on the recent assault on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, in which the author situates the attack in the longer history of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, patriarchy, and unfettered capitalism.

In October of 2020, the University of Arizona’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences hosted a lecture series called Womanpower. The final lecture was an interview between Michelle Téllez and Yalitza Aparicio—an Indigenous woman, actress, and activist. This interview transcript (originally conducted in Spanish) discusses Aparicio’s childhood, her experiences with discrimination, her role in the groundbreaking film Roma , and her activism on behalf of domestic workers and Indigenous peoples. In this interview, Téllez highlights issues of Indigenous rights, recognizing how Aparicio’s platform can bring visibility to the O’odham land defenders fighting for their sacred lands today, but also to Indigenous peoples fighting for their territories in Mexico, as alluded to in Roma. Téllez wanted to recognize the power that is ever-present in the bodies and minds of women workers who create possibilities despite their circumstances, and who maneuver between space and place, languages and cultures as they center homes, both their own and others. She points us to Aparicio’s role as a domestic worker to remind us of the silent but ever-present power of women. Téllez connects the interview with her own research and personal experiences growing up along the U.S./Mexico border in the cities of San Diego/Tijuana – where she was witness to the racial, gendered, and classed dynamics of power and exclusion.

Hyphenated identities continue to be prominent in twenty-first century scholarship meant to uncover and confront assimilative structures of power in the Global North. However, the “Arab-Muslim” hyphen, in particular, continues to be used as a convention without a proper examination of its assimilative and racial dimensions. This commentary confronts the power dynamics at play in the use of the hyphen and calls for a more equitable understanding of Muslimness as it intersects and diverges from American Arabness. Ultimately, this commentary seeks to build from the already vigorous resistance to xenophobia and ethnocentricity in Muslim Studies, Arab American Studies, and other branches of Ethnic Studies by calling attention to the ways in which the hyphen counteracts the scholarly imperative of equity at the center of these frameworks of inquiry.

In recent times, the occurrence of conflicts between herders and farmers with unexplainable attacks by the Fulani herdsmen in Nigerian states has become worrisome; threatening the unity and security of the country with the fear of war and ethnic invasion. Governmental attempts to proffer solutions have not helped matters. Affected parties have rejected proposed policies, including cattle colonies, cattle routes, grazing reserves, and Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) settlements. Findings revealed that the reasons for rejections and counter reactions against policies are related to the fear of ethnic domination and suspicion among Nigerian stakeholders. This work affirms that the RUGA is a policy formulated amidst perceived and overwhelming ethnic prejudice. It concludes that there is need for collective and inclusive policy formulation and implementation that recognizes collective effort with a modern political economy policy for sustainable development.

A discussion facilitated by Jason Magabo Perez, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at California State University (CSU), San Marcos. Featuring commentary and analysis of the statements of solidarity curated by Natchee Blu Barnd included in this issue.

A commentary that situates the current violent repression of Portland protesters by federal agents in the context of United States government repression of activism in prior moments of social struggle.

A commentary discussing responses to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the Pacific Islands and the Pacific diaspora in which the author highlights in particular the widespread support for and solidarity with the BLM movement, while also addressing areas of tension and discomfort in this wide-ranging analysis of Pacific Islander points of view.

A collection of statements of solidarity from Black Studies and Ethnic Studies academic units and scholarly organizations in response to the murder of George Floyd, organized and curated by Natchee Blu Barnd, Associate Editor of the Ethnic Studies Review

A commentary on the Black Lives Matter movement’s influence on France’s own debate over the idea of colorblindness within its universalist national project and the way in which the concept obscures the reality of racial discrimination, police violence, and the marginalization of ethnic communities in France.

An interview conducted by Ron Scapp, Contributing Editor to the Ethnic Studies Review , with Robert L. Perry and Ravi K. Perry in which the two scholars reflect upon their leadership roles within the field of Ethnic Studies as well as how the field has evolved from its early years to the present day.

On May 6, 2020, K. Wayne Yang participated in this webinar conversation hosted by Imagining America in which Wayne discusses his book, A Third University is Possible (under his pen name la paperson), and the work of decolonization in a conversation with Jack Tchen.