Neoliberal political economies have radically changed the ways Middle Eastern governments think of risk, security, and the management of the future and of their populations. In the past 30 years, artists, writers, and filmmakers have responded to the proliferation of technologies of surveillance, preemption, risk management, and financialization by composing competing fictions of risk and safety in their works. This project adopts a regional lens to examine how cultural production responds to neoliberal logics of governance.

Innovation policy to unlock structural change in energy systems will be required to address global climate change. Gabriel Chan applies interdisciplinary methods to study energy and climate policies in diverse contexts, from Minnesota to the United Nations. His research seeks to understand the dynamics of energy innovation organizations, the potential and limitation of transnational institutions to address climate change, and the possibilities for incorporating equity and democratic norms into energy transitions.

Heather Peters has been a tireless advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion at UMN Morris. On campus her leadership has been essential to the creation of the Human Services Social Justice Major, Equity and Diversity Advocate program, and new Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor program. Beyond campus, she has forged meaningful partnerships with various tribal and non-tribal partners around the state to improve the health and well-being of individuals who experience marginalization.

Mary Owen has developed programs with the primary aim of increasing representation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students pursuing careers in medicine. She has been instrumental in ensuring that the Medical School remains aligned with the healthcare and educational needs of AIAN communities. She is Associate Dean of Native American Health and Director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health.

As Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor, Editor, and Higholt Endowed Professor at the University of Minnesota, Hessam Mirgolbabaei promotes inclusive and diverse learning and work environments. Hessam's expertise in developing data-driven and computational solutions for complex problems stems from over a decade of academic and research experience in engineering.

Saje Mathieu is a dedicated educator and historian whose work centers the experiences of African-descended people in the Americas and Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She specializes in the Black Diaspora, war, immigration, race, globalization, social movements, and political resistance. Her books, scholarly articles, museum, library, radio, and television projects have forged meaningful partnerships between the university and community stakeholders.

Douglas Kearney has co-chaired and chaired the English Department’s EDI Committee, programming grad-level EDI workshops with topics ranging from Institutional EDI Statements to Black feminist pedagogical interventions. His writing examines the collisions between Black people, violence, and entertainment. He is currently writing a book about aesthetic disruption in Black music.