Center for Equality and Justice Lecture Series: José Marichal, Ph.D.

José Marichal, CLU associate professor of political science, draws on an ethnographic analysis of 250 Facebook political groups to examine the impact of the Facebook revolution on politics in general and on democratic processes in particular.

In his new book, Facebook Democracy: The Architecture of Disclosure and the Threat to Public Life, Marichal explores how Facebook's emphasis on social connection impacts key dimensions of political participation.

Marichal teaches courses on the Internet and politics, public policy, race and politics, community development and California politics. His current projects include a study of the relationship between acquiring digital skills and feelings of trust/efficacy among Latinos and African Americans and an examination of how “civic hacking” – the use of technology to improve civic life – affects power dynamics at the local level. He is founder of the blog ThickCulture, sponsored by Contexts magazine.

Admission is free.