Recent changes to UK and US migratory policy have mobilized many within the academy to come to the defense of immigrants and refugees. …

(prepared for Eidolon’s roundtable at SCS) — When Donna Zuckerberg and Jason Pedicone first approached me about writing for Eidolon, I was a few days away from splicing a classical allusion into my wedding vows. At the time I was also prepping a new course soon to be offered to formerly incarcerated adults under Columbia’s newly launched…

I had the best lawyers, Ivy League backing, and Bill Clinton’s support. But I still don’t have a green card. — This essay was written for the My Time in Line series, in which immigrants are sharing stories on Medium of what it’s really like to get legal status. Join the conversation. I grew up in New York City without legal immigration status. When I was four, my parents and I…

Immigrant labor and its discontents — Barbarians Inside the Gate, Part I Fears of immigration in ancient Rome and todayeidolon.pub The distrust of immigrants I explored in my previous article is rooted in more than just (unfounded) fear of violence. After all, violent immigrants can be arrested and imprisoned. But what about law-abiding, productive immigrants? …

Fears of immigration in ancient Rome and today — Migrants poured over the southern border. Many came for jobs after employment options in their home regions had dried up; others were attracted to the excitement and glamour of their destination. Soon the influx began to worry leading politicians, who authorized a series of enforcement actions against select categories of…

The Classics in/of Hip-Hop Richard Westall, “The Sword of Damocles” (1812) Growing up in 1990s Harlem, I couldn’t have escaped hip-hop if I’d wanted to. The streets bumped with it: the boombox action on the corner and in the park, the speakers screaming from apartment windows, the cars reverberating with bass. On the way…