{"id":167804,"date":"2025-02-28T10:08:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T15:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=167804"},"modified":"2025-09-25T14:23:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T18:23:15","slug":"bates-faculty-in-the-news-feb-28-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/28\/bates-faculty-in-the-news-feb-28-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Bates Faculty in the News: Feb. 28, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A selection of recent mentions of Bates faculty in the news, from a glowing review of a new poetry collection to economic analysis of a big move by Samsung and an exploration of what The New York Times<\/em> describes as still “taboo” for many women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ther\u00ed Pickens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

‘A powerful exploration of storytelling and Black experiences’ \u2014 Library Journal<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"poetry
What Had Happened Was<\/em> is due out March 25 from Duke University Press<\/a>,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What Had Happened Was<\/em>, the debut poetry collection by Charles A. Dana Professor of English and Africana Ther\u00ed Alyce Pickens, received a glowing pre-publication review from Library Journal<\/em> <\/a>in February, which described the book as a \u201cpowerful exploration of storytelling and Black experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Had Happened Was<\/em> is due out March 25 from Duke University Press<\/a>, which also published Pickens\u2019 2019 book Black Madness :: Mad Blackness<\/em>, an examination of Blackness and disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her poetry collection addresses topics ranging from Black life, popular culture, and history to individual encounters with emotional, love, and chronic disability. Pickens weaves in mentions of Li\u2019l Kim and memories of the ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air<\/em>, then turns to subjects such as Harriet Tubman and Breonna Taylor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her review for Library Journal<\/em>, Jessica Calaway called the poem titled “On March 12, 2020, Breonna Taylor” \u201cstriking\u201d and an invitation to readers to \u201creflect on Taylor\u2019s legacy and broader implications.\u201d The full review is available only to subscribers, but here are some excerpts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo
An award-winning scholar, Ther\u00ed Pickens is the Charles A. Dana Professor of English and Africana. (Photograph by Sharyn Peavey)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“The collection\u2019s strength lies in its content and form. Through intentional sentence structures \u2014hyphens, periods, or strategic placement of text on the page \u2014 the collection encourages readers to pause and absorb the gravity of historical moments. Pickens employs a variety of styles, yet all her poems share a common thread: they create a space for reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Library Journal\u2019s<\/em> \u201cverdict\u201d? Pickens\u2019 poetry is essential:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This collection demands attention and introspection by offering a raw yet eloquent portrayal of the intersections of history, identity, and systemic oppression. It\u2019s an essential read for people seeking to honor the complexity of the experiences of Black Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An on-campus reading, Q&A, and book signing for What Had Happened Was<\/em> is planned for Thursday, April 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rebecca Herzig<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Is facial hair the last taboo in women\u2019s beauty? \u2014 The New York Times<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A story in The New York Times<\/em> cited research by Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies Rebecca Herzig<\/a> for insights into historical assumptions made about women of color with facial hair.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"book
It\u2019s been 10 years since Plucked<\/em> was published, but Rebecca Herzig says she\u2019s still astonished by how \u201cregularly I am contacted on this topic, from all corners of the world.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Times<\/em> had asked female readers to respond to a questionnaire about their relationship with their facial hair. Almost 900 people responded and while some described pacts they\u2019d made with friends to pluck each other\u2019s facial hair into their dotage, when they were no longer able to care for themselves, others spoke of embracing what occurs naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writer Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff described some cultural changes around this \u201clast taboo\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis century, a shift of sorts has emerged around the norms of women\u2019s bodies. There have been multiple movements, such as ‘Januhairy,’ <\/strong>which encouraged women to grow their body hair, including facial hair, during the month of January (the community\u2019s official Instagram account has 42,000 followers).”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brinkhurst-Cuff references Rosalie<\/em>, a 2023 French film that featured a bearded female protagonist, and quotes its director: \u201cI invented the story of a young woman who frees herself by embracing her beard,\u201d said the film\u2019s director, St\u00e9phanie di Gusto. \u201cWith Rosalie\u2019s beard, I wanted to reinvent femininity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brinkhurst-Cuff also draws on Herzig\u2019s research in Plucked: A History of Hair Removal <\/em>to discuss how women’s facial hair has been associated with “madness, degeneracy, and \u2018inferior races.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been 10 years since Plucked<\/em> was published, but Herzig still fields regular inquiries from journalists and students working on related topics. “It’s sort of astonishing,” she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Paul Shea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Samsung bought back $2 billion of its own shares. Now it\u2019s canceling them entirely \u2014 Marketplace<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why do companies sometimes cancel (and then buy back) their own stock? Dowling Family Professor of Economics Paul Shea was among prominent economists who explain to Marketplace<\/em> some of the possible motivations for Samsung having done so recently<\/a>, including being able to avoid higher taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInvestors have a reason to prefer share cancellations to, say, offering a dividend,” Shea said. \u201cYou don\u2019t pay a dividend tax rate on it. You pay a capital gains tax rate, which is lower for most people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Paul
Paul Shea, the Dowling Family Professor of Economics, explained to Marketplace<\/em> what the rationale might have been for Samsung repurchasing $2 billion of its shares.(Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But, Shea said, the billions of dollars that Samsung spent to buy the shares it\u2019s canceling means it\u2019s not spending money on growth, like building new plants or acquiring other companies. \u201cSo that could be a negative signal, but it could also just be that this is not a time where there\u2019s great opportunity for expansion,\u201d Shea told Marketplace<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShea said the cancellations would make him more nervous for a younger company that\u2019s never turned a profit. With an older, more stable company like Samsung, he said there\u2019s nothing wrong with returning money to shareholders this way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Paul Schofield<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

APA announces Fall 2024 prize winners \u2014 American Philosophical Association<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"Associate
Bates philosophy professor Paul Schofield is working on a book about the unique injustice of homelessness.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Associate Professor of Philosophy Paul Schofield<\/a> was recently honored by the American Philosophical Association for an op-ed he published in The Conversation<\/em>, titled \u201cBeing Homeless Means Not Being Free \u2014 As Americans Are Supposed to Be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schofield was one of of five philosophers honored by the association\u2019s committee on public philosophy in the Public Philosophy Op-Ed Contest, which goes to up to five philosophers who write standout pieces that \u201csuccessfully blend philosophical argumentation with an op-ed writing style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his prize-winning essay, Schofield discusses how “homelessness compromises a person\u2019s freedom<\/a>.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, he writes, “a person who is homeless and sleeps on a public bench will often be told by the police to move. Someone who sets up a tent on a sidewalk will usually have it confiscated. Someone who urinates or defecates in a park can be arrested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Now you can see why some think that homelessness compromises a person\u2019s freedom. Sleeping and relieving oneself are necessary, life-sustaining tasks…. Given the way society protects private property and regulates public spaces, it seems that people who are homeless are left with no space at all in which they are free to do the things they need to do in order to live.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

English professor Ther\u00ed Pickens\u2019 new poetry collection earns praise in Library Journal, Rebecca Herzig\u2019s research on women and facial hair informs The New York Times, and Paul Shea explains Samsung\u2019s stock buyback strategy for Marketplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1283,"featured_media":167829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":167913,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11051,12362],"class_list":["post-167804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-life","tag-bates-in-the-news","tag-faculty-in-the-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167804"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167914,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167804\/revisions\/167914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}