Laurence Ralph @Laurence_Ralph Twitter profile

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

Many thanks to @annievain and @sfchronicle for this thoughtful review!!!

Grand Central Pub

@GrandCentralPub

7 months

"Tidbits from @Laurence_Ralph 's extensive research on gangs in the Mission District and the juvenile justice system pad the book, but it is at heart a deeply kaleidoscopic view into the tragedy of Sito’s death." (via @sfchronicle )

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@UChicagoPress is making my book on police violence free for the next week!!! Check it out!!!!

Kathleen White

@DrKathleenW

4 years

Free book on history of police violence by @Laurence_Ralph through @UChicagoPress

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

1/17 Ever wonder how whiteness is privileged in the social sciences? #anthrotwitter #AnthroSoWhite [A Thread]

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

PLEASE CHECK OUT this animated film I directed and produced with @nytimes op doc series!!!!! The Scars of Being Policed While Black

Opinion | The Scars of Being Policed While Black (Published 2020)

From unjustified stops of Black teenagers to a device to torment people in custody, racist police brutality runs deep.

www.nytimes.com

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

As a journal editor, I’ve recently been asked whether PhD graduate students should publish articles while working on their dissertations. Here’s what I think…🧵

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

11/17 Michel-Ralph Trouillot’s, Silencing The Past, should be required for all #anthropology classes. Yet it DOES NOT appear until 719... 719!?! #AnthroSoWhite . This list is #SilencingThePast .

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

3 years

It’s truly and honor to receive this award!!!!!! 🥳🤩😌

American Anthropological Association

@AmericanAnthro

3 years

Member in the News: @Laurence_Ralph is the recipient of the 2021 J. I. Staley Prize for his book, “ Renegade Dreams: Living Through Injury in Gangland Chicago.”

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

15/17 BLACK ANTHROPOLOGY IS NOT BEING TAUGHT IN ANTHROPOLOGY. WOW! This blatant silencing points to the need for initiatives like @CiteBlackWomen . Shoutout to @profsassy for her hard work.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

16/17 We address these issues more in #TheAnthropologyofWhiteSupremacy , a forthcoming special section of @AmAnthroJournal , guest edited by Jemima Pierre and @Beliso_DeJesus .

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

9/17 ALL HAIL, QUEEN ZORA, THE FIRST BLACK ANTHROPOLOGIST TO BE TAUGHT BY ANTHROPOLOGISTS!! ...But not until 486. #AnthroSoWhite

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 months

Wild how the same ppl with weathered #BlackLivesMatter signs in their yard won’t stand with students on their own campus who’ve been subjected to police violence.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

13/17 Takeaways? Sadly, IT IS CLEAR that anthropology does not want to teach or hear from its Black anthropologists. Less than 1% of the assigned texts are authored by Black scholars. Crucially…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

2/17 The Open Syllabus Project (OSP) surveyed over 41,000 anthropology syllabi. @Beliso_DeJesus and I analyze it. Let’s see how many assigned-texts are authored by Black scholars…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

12/17 Our run comes to an end with current @ABA_AAA President Lee Baker’s, From Savage To Negro. Thank God it makes an appearance at 835! FINALLY, a Black Anthropologist who’s actually alive!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

3/17 In the top 1,000 texts taught in anthropology courses, only 9 are authored by Black scholars. Let's explore what they are, who they're written by...and what that says about #anthropology

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

UChicagoPress

@UChicagoPress

5 years

“An essential primer on the roots of police violence.”— @PublishersWkly @Laurence_Ralph ’s THE TORTURE LETTERS comes out Sep 24.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

4/17 The 1st Black-authored text does not appear until 185 on the list of most assigned texts! #AnthroSoWhite #SMDH

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

17/17 Contributors to this special section are: @DrJonathanRosa , @vanessajdiaz , Junaid Rana, Shannon Speed, @shalini_shankar , @drkeishakhan . [END]

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

14/17 6 of the 9 Black-authored texts are from outside of #anthropology . None are written by a Black anthropologist conducting an ethnography of the contemporary moment!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

6/17 A dope Nigerian novel at 321...Instead of ethnography?

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

10/17 Jamaica Kincaid comes in at 560. Who doesn’t love Jamaica? #Anthropology does. ...Just not as much as Malinowski.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

As job market time draws near … here’s a few tips for that confusing and awkward FIRST INTERVIEW... (It usually takes place on a phone call, video chat, or at your annual conference.) #jobmarket #socialsciences

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

5/17 Then Fanon comes in again! ...But not until 312. Anthro loves them some Fanon...

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

8/17 Black Britain still shinnin’ at 446. What this means is: out of 41,000 #anthropology syllabi, Representation by Stuart Hall appears on 59. Looking bad for “signification,” brah…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

Grab your copy today!!! So grateful to have this out!!

Grand Central Pub

@GrandCentralPub

8 months

Out today, SITO by @Laurence_Ralph is a riveting and heart-wrenching exploration of violence, grief and the American justice system, explored through the story of one teenager. Learn more and grab your copy!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

7/17 The Black Atlantic comes in at 339.….Still no Black anthropology #AnthroSoWhite

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@ruha9

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

Had a great event yesterday at @HarvardBooks . Many thanks to @ibramxk for your kind words and generosity about #SITO !!! Much appreciated!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

Check it out!!//THE TORTURE LETTERS by Laurence Ralph | Kirkus Reviews #kirkus

THE TORTURE LETTERS | Kirkus Reviews

In four equally compelling parts, an anthropology professor breaks down the root causes and severe consequences of police violence against people of color in America.

www.kirkusreviews.com

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

3 years

I’m so honored to receive this acknowledgment for The Torture Letters!! Thank you so much, @midlandauthors !!!

Midland Authors

@midlandauthors

3 years

@AAKnopf @t_nesbit @BloomsburyBooks @KathleenMRooney @penguinusa @blgtylr @riverheadbooks @jackshuler @CounterpointLLC @GraywolfPress Our awards judges chose "The Torture Letters: Reckoning with Police Violence" by @UChicago grad @Laurence_Ralph , published by @UChicagoPress , as an Honored Book in Adult Nonfiction, saying he "writes with scholarly care and personal empathy."

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

4. I’d recommend thinking about journal articles AFTER figuring out the argument and scope of the “main thing” (dissertation). Once you figure that out, talk to your committee about what parts of the dissertation make sense as journal articles, when to submit them, and where.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

10. P.S. Also keep in mind: what you publish BEFORE you get the job probably won’t “count” if/when you actually get the job in the assessment of your tenure… But that’s an issue for another 🧵

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

What can we learn from other countries about policing? Read my latest piece in @ForeignAffairs !! #PoliceBrutalityPandemic

Katherine Zoepf

@katherinezoepf

4 years

If you read one thing today, let it be this essay by the great @Laurence_Ralph about what the U.S. can learn from the rest of the world about policing reform.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

I'm excited to say: #TheTortureLetters Coming Soon! 9-24-19 @UChicagoPress

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

This whole Jay-Z/NFL situation got me thinking about something Du Bois once said...

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

‘The Torture Letters’ Director Laurence Ralph Meditates On His Hope For Change With Oscar-Contending Animated Short via @Deadline

‘The Torture Letters’ Director Laurence Ralph Meditates On America’s History Of Racially-Motivated...

'The Torture Letters' director Laurence Ralph talks inspiration behind Oscar-contending animated short.

deadline.com

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

2. You have to keep “the main thing the main thing.” And the main thing is the dissertation. Yes, you may have that Master’s thesis you’d love to publish, but what are you willing to sacrifice to work on that?

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

9. I can only speak for my dept, but we don’t compare ABDs with people who’ve been out for years. We compare ABDs to other ABDs…and the expectation is not that they’ve been published. It’s about their potential as measured by the quality of their dissertation... So again

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

Im so grateful for this amazing review of #thetortureletters in ⁦ @nybooks ⁩!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A Legacy of Torture in Chicago | by Peter C. Baker | The New York Review of Books

A Legacy of Torture in Chicago | Peter C. Baker

Chicago has a police torture problem. The exact size of this problem is not known and perhaps never will be. What is known for sure is that between 1972 and 1991 at least 125 black Chicagoans were...

www.nybooks.com

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

7. …having your work co-opted for another (usually senior scholar’s) conceptual framework—a framework that you’re not necessarily invested in. Do you know the intellectual baggage associated with this special issue you’re signing up for?

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

1. It varies tremendously based on discipline. I can only really speak for #anthropology . Even within anthro, it varies according to subfield. Archeology and physical anthropology have different norms. But for #culturalanthros , here are some things to keep in mind…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

...Been thinking a lot about this @TalibKweli verse lately. #RestInPeace Toni! #TheBluestEye @Genius

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

8. I realize that a lot of this stems from anxiety about the job market? How can you be competitive if you don’t publish, given that you may be competing with scholars who are already on the tenure track and/or people with multiple post-docs?

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

6. Sure, sounds like a good idea! But editing a special issue is A LOT of work (which takes time away from the “main thing.”) If you’re just a contributor, it might be manageable. But you need to be hip to another potential issue. And that is…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

5. But what about side projects? Should you work with colleagues to transform your conference panel into a special issue?...

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

My book #TheTortureLetters is only $5 on Amazon right now!!!! Only 3 Left in stock!!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

@ruha9 As if, they haven't heard the other "side" their entire lives...

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@LopezBunyasi @DrJonathanRosa Thank you!!! Especially for this moment...I would say: @savannahshange #ProgressiveDystopia , @aimee_meredith_ #Shapeshifters , @profsassy #Afro -Paradise, & @Karla_Slocum #BlackTownsBlackFutures , which you could teach with The Watchmen HBO series.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@DrIbram @KeishaBlain @OneWorldLit I’m so honored to contribute to this volume!!!! It’s an amazing project and it’s creation is a model for collective scholarship!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 months

At this point Kendrick might drop a whole album called Surviving Drake.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

3. Can you work on publishing your Master's while doing coursework, studying for exams, and applying for grants? And even if you publish it… You now have an article that’s not on your current research …and it’s published 3-4 years before you’re on the job market…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

9 years

RT @TPM : Police arrest fourth suspect in Black Lives Matter shooting

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

WATCH: 'What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?' By Frederick Douglass : NPR

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

My first academic review of #TheTortureLetters !!!! Thank you, @Polar_Journal !!!!!!

Political and Legal Anthropology Review

@Polar_Journal

4 years

#DefundThePolice @Laurence_Ralph @UChicagoPress @ColoradoMesaU

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

MOST IMPORTANT PRO-TIP: BE YOURSELF. If you pretend to be someone else, you could become that person. #scary They already like you. They just want to make sure you’re as great in person as you are on paper.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

Shoutout to @sza for showing love to #SITO and honoring his legacy! We appreciate all that you do!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

1) Describe your research? TELL THE STORY of how you came to your project. Have an elevator pitch (2-3 sentences max) that describes your work and key interventions. Be succinct!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@zoewool Sure! In taking an epistolary approach I was inspired by Baldwin, Coates and, more recently, @dsallentess ’s Cuz and @imaniperry ’s Breathe… Like #tortureletters , these books use letters to write profound reflections on personal experiences of race and racism.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

3 years

@imaniperry @KeeangaYamahtta @PrincetonAAS @SirJoshBennett Three Black profs from Princeton....WOW!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

Congrats, @Anthrofuentes !!! :

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

You want to know why we need to #defund the police in order to build better schools? Get #TheTortureLetters and #GhostintheSchoolyard by @eveewing ON SALE for $1.99 each!!!

UChicagoPress

@UChicagoPress

4 years

Sometimes you want to read, sometimes you need to read. There are some books we need now. We have eleven e-books on racism in America priced at $1.99 each. See the list and use code JUNE199 at checkout (Also $1.99 at ebook retailers)

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

Check out my new piece in @TIME Based on my new book #SITO @GrandCentralPub

Finding Humanity in Our Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is designed to promote simplicity. But embracing complexity is exactly what we need.

time.com

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

@eugenejohnson_ I’m Laurence. I got my PhD from the University of Chicago in 2010 in Anthropology. I’m a full professor of anthropology at Princeton. I work on urban violence and inequality.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

So thankful for this interview with Animation Magazine!!!!

The2050Group

@The2050Group

4 years

Laurence Ralph Discusses the Inspiration Behind His Powerful Short ‘The Torture Letters’ -

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

PRO-TIP 2: For Skype or phone interview, PLEASE don’t break out a “cheat sheet.” They can hear you flipping through those papers for the “perfect” answer. (Put sticky notes on the computer screen, instead.)

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@ChicagoRevBooks The Chicago Review of Books asked me to recommend some books to help people grapple with this political moment. I want to amplify the important work of some brilliant scholars, specifically @imaniperry , @kcarterjackson , Robin Kelley, Ruthie Gilmore, and Robert Gooding-Williams

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@ruha9 Well, in terms of faces and beauty products:

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

3) They’ll ask you to elaborate on ASPECTS OF YOUR WORK they found interesting. PAY ATTENTION, this is why they like you and WHY you’re being interviewed! EMPHASIZE these strengths later on, if you can.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

My New Website is LIVE!!! Check out info on the new book and MORE!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

6 months

@LabSpecEth This advice shouldn’t have been shared in this manner because it wasn’t general advice. I was speaking to grad students in my own program about the dangers of publishing an article before they know the central contribution of their dissertation.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

4) The Wildcard question most likely comes from the “hater.” You can’t predict what they’ll ask. BEST RESPONSE: STAY confident. THANK the hater. PIVOT to your strengths (see Question 3)

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@bodega_gyro_ao Yes...also keep in mind, this year is especially rough...a lot of schools aren’t accepting students. Those that are have decided to take fewer...we got twice as many applicants for half as many slots this year.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

1/13 Let’s clear up a misconception about crime rates, right quick. #massincarceration #crimerates

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

@PatriksPicks @soulistaphd 🥳 Congrats!!!!🍾🎉 👏🏾

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

@zoewool @dsallentess @imaniperry In my case, paying attention to who my letters are meant for helps ensure that my discussion of torture isn’t sensational or voyeuristic… I explain why a particular person needs to grapple with the history of violence that I’m describing in each letter.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

PRO-TIP 1: Show that you’ve studied the school & discuss how your work amplifies its unique mission. How can you vibe with other projects or programs across the university?

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

Thanks to @nba , the @Lakers and especially @karida_leigh for considering #TheTortureLetters an essential reading for our time!!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

7 months

Thank you @lithub for publishing this piece!! Some of the major struggles I had while writing #SITO are reflected here.

Grand Central Pub

@GrandCentralPub

7 months

"Sito’s family needed the system to respect them and to deliver justice. Only, in pursuit of that justice, they didn’t want to become vengeful themselves." Read an excerpt of SITO by @Laurence_Ralph in @lithub :

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

Check out the latest review of #TheTortureLetters in @theNation !!!! So grateful for this review!!! Thanks so much @edburmila !!!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

God is a comedian #1619Project

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

9 years

Apparently, it's illegal to be irritated. #SandraBland

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

@biancaphd @DrJonathanRosa @vanessajdiaz @shalini_shankar @drkeishakhan Preach!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 months

A huge thanks to @GreenhouseLinda for this thoughtful and generous review that really captures the personal nature of this book! I am truly grateful!!

Angela Baggetta

@angelabaggetta

4 months

Marvelous, thoughful review of @Laurence_Ralph 's SITO by @GreenhouseLinda in @nybooks

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

Thank you, Karlyn!!!

Karlyn J. Gorski, PhD

@karlynjane

4 years

Today I read “The Torture Letters” by @Laurence_Ralph . I’m going to share some excerpts from the book. It should be required reading for all social scientists, especially those of/in Chicago. #soctwitter 1/

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

Many struggle with the last two questions: 4) The “Wildcard” question (Random or a potentially hostile question). 5) They invite you to ask them a question. Let’s consider both…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

5) The “U-ASK-ME-A-QUESTION,” question: SHOW INTEREST! You can ask, for example, about the collective vision of the department. A follow up can be about your intellectual commitments and how they might “fit” within the vision.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

@lorgia_pena This needs to be a T-Shirt.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

11/13 THE FACTS TELL US: that providing #JOBS , #EDUCATION and #HEALTHCARE would do more to address crime than incarcerating the masses. It would also be CHEAPER.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

4 years

Thanks @shamuskhan for refusing to erase and cover over this history of white supremacy.

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

@Hanelizqui @jennyshaw011 Thanks so much, Hannah, for these kind words!!!!! And thanks Jenny for this thread!!!!!!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

2) What would you teach? Look up what’s being taught & don’t replicate! Memorize a few key texts for each of your proposed courses. Have fun titles (not too long or esoteric)!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

3 years

Check out this interesting study!

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

The #interview should take 20-30 mins. It if takes longer, CONGRATS! GOOD SIGN. If not, no worries. In most cases, someone is keeping track of time. Here are my 5 TOP questions to prepare for…

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph

5 years

12/13 I know I study this stuff for a living, but THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE FRICKIN’ UNITED STATES must know the stats, right?

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Laurence Ralph

@Laurence_Ralph