Radcliffe Quarterly—Winter 2009

Politics in Context In 2008–2009, several Radcliffe fellows are conducting research on and writing books about contemporary political issues. In this special section, we're pleased to report on their work. The Election in Historical Context: From 1968 to 2008 Julia Hanna How Do We Keep Public Officials Accountable? Pat Harrison "There needs to be some institution that guarantees common people a role in government." A Return to Government that Provides for the Common Good? Lewis I. Rice From the time of the Great Depression and the New Deal, people expected the government to provide stability, prosperity, and opportunity. The 1970s represented a turning point in US politics. Is Brown the New Black? Racial and Ethnic Change in America Ivelisse Estrada What does it mean when blacks are no longer at the center of civil rights enforcement? Poetic Appetites Andrea Cohen The three poets in residence at the Radcliffe Institute this year are poetic omnivores, hungry for life, information, and new combinations of words. "XII" Gwyneth Lewis "The Nature of Emptiness" Sarah Messer "Young Apple Tree, December" Gail Mazur Departments From the Dean Announcements Grosz Appoints Faculty Leaders to Spur Collaborations Helping to Move Radcliffe to the Next Level: Administrative Dean Helen Ouellette Institute Explorations Around the Institute News from the Schlesinger Library Lecture Presentations Understanding Postcolonial Wars New Books I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass RI ’05 The Mercy Rule by Perri Klass ’78, MD ’86 A Yes-or-No Answer by Jane Shore BI ’72 Our Lady of the Artichokes and Other Portuguese-American Stories by Katherine Vaz RI ’07 The Enemy Within: 2,000 Years of Witch-hunting in the Western World by John Demos ’59, RI ’07 Rising, Falling, Hovering by C. D. Wright BI ’88 Quick Study Alumnae/i News Names & Faces NEWSmakers

RADCLIFFE QUARTERLY

Editor
Pat Harrison

Associate Editor
Ivelisse Estrada

Book Reviewer
Megan Marshall ’77, RI ’07

Editors Emeritae
Maryel Finney Locke ’48
Aida Kabatznick Press ’48
Diane Sherlock ’78

Design
forminform

Director of Communications
Jenny Corke

Associate Dean for Advancement
Sharyn Bahn

Administrative Dean
Helen Ouellette

Dean
Barbara J. Grosz

Winter 2009

Volume 94/No. 1

The Radcliffe Quarterly (ISSN 0033-7528) is published two times a year by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Copyright 2009 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.

The Radcliffe Quarterly is distributed free to alumnae/i, faculty, and fellows. For others, subscriptions are available with a gift of $25 per year ($35 foreign) to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at the address listed above.

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The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is a scholarly community where individuals pursue advanced work across a wide range of academic disciplines, professions, and creative arts. Within this broad purpose, the Radcliffe Institute sustains a continuing commitment to the study of women, gender, and society.