Victor Shammas
@victorshammas.com
Oslo, Norway-based Associate Professor of Sociology—with a global perspective. Research: victorshammas.com. Newsletter on politics, culture, and social theory: theorybrief.com.
“It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final step in the process to obtain U.S. permanent residency. Instead, as each interview with an immigration officer wrapped up, federal agents swooped in, handcuffed the foreign spouse and took him or her away.”
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:20 AM
“It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final step in the process to obtain U.S. permanent residency. Instead, as each interview with an immigration officer wrapped up, federal agents swooped in, handcuffed the foreign spouse and took him or her away.”
“Beckert emphasizes how capitalism has depended at every stage of its development on the military power of the modern state and frequently on practices of extreme violence, such as the outright terror required to build the Atlantic system of slavery.”
How Capitalism Took Over the World
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:28 PM
“Beckert emphasizes how capitalism has depended at every stage of its development on the military power of the modern state and frequently on practices of extreme violence, such as the outright terror required to build the Atlantic system of slavery.”
"I had thought…that I’d never again have to think about the antisemitic taunts I suffered from Nigel Farage at school.… It was alarming to me that all people seemed to see was Farage the entertainer, the nonconformist political figure…a straight-talking man of the people, holding up his pint glass."
Don’t believe Nigel Farage’s denials. He targeted me for being Jewish – and it hurt | Peter Ettedgui
Now that my former classmate has finally spoken about the allegations of his behaviour at school, I feel compelled to address his points directly, says Peter Ettedgui, a film director and producer
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:51 AM
"I had thought…that I’d never again have to think about the antisemitic taunts I suffered from Nigel Farage at school.… It was alarming to me that all people seemed to see was Farage the entertainer, the nonconformist political figure…a straight-talking man of the people, holding up his pint glass."
Reposted by Victor Shammas
Rush Hour 4 in development after Trump reportedly pushed for sequel
Rush Hour 4 in development after Trump reportedly pushed for sequel
Rush Hour 4 in development after Trump reportedly pushed for sequel
www.independent.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Rush Hour 4 in development after Trump reportedly pushed for sequel
Reposted by Victor Shammas
www.theorybrief.com/p/the-great-... 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
The Great American Decoupling
Under Trump 2.0, the U.S. is decoupling from the world—and the world from it. Both are worse off for it.
www.theorybrief.com
April 16, 2025 at 10:26 AM
www.theorybrief.com/p/the-great-... 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
"Are Democrats on par with Republicans in the digital media space? Not yet. The gap remains wide, according to audience numbers and interviews with creators and strategists. … But Democrats are making headway."
How Democrats are building their own digital media army
The 2024 election spurred Democrats to seek out podcasts and social media creators to spread their message and catch up with their Republican counterparts.
wapo.st
November 25, 2025 at 3:19 PM
"Are Democrats on par with Republicans in the digital media space? Not yet. The gap remains wide, according to audience numbers and interviews with creators and strategists. … But Democrats are making headway."
Reposted by Victor Shammas
Reposted by Victor Shammas
“the most recent turn to #nativism is a marked shift away from a worldview premised on cosmopolitanism, cultural experimentation, and liberal humanism. It’s a worldview that has stood the country in remarkably good stead.” #Denmark open.substack.com/pub/victorsh...
Have Denmark’s Right-Leaning Social Democrats Finally Learned Their Lesson?
Denmark’s recent elections suggest the Social Democrats’ rightward turn on immigration won’t always win. Voters expect more from the left—even in the age of Trump, Meloni, and Farage.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
“the most recent turn to #nativism is a marked shift away from a worldview premised on cosmopolitanism, cultural experimentation, and liberal humanism. It’s a worldview that has stood the country in remarkably good stead.” #Denmark open.substack.com/pub/victorsh...
Denmark’s Social Democrats bet that a hardline immigration stance would keep the far right at bay. After suffering a setback in recent local elections, will they finally rethink that strategy?
Have Denmark’s Right-Leaning Social Democrats Finally Learned Their Lesson?
Denmark’s recent elections suggest the Social Democrats’ rightward turn on immigration won’t always win. Voters expect more from the left—even in the age of Trump, Meloni, and Farage.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Denmark’s Social Democrats bet that a hardline immigration stance would keep the far right at bay. After suffering a setback in recent local elections, will they finally rethink that strategy?
70 percent of Americans polled by CBS/YouGov oppose U.S. taking military action in Venezuela.
November 23, 2025 at 4:54 PM
70 percent of Americans polled by CBS/YouGov oppose U.S. taking military action in Venezuela.
‘“I have a few simple words to say to the Home Office: you destroyed my life,” he says. “How can they hold on to a person for 17 years who has done nothing wrong? Being an asylum seeker here is like living in an open prison.’
The life and limbo of a UK asylum seeker: one man’s harrowing 17-year wait for leave to remain
Ussu fled imprisonment and torture, only to find himself treated like a liar and outcast in the UK. Here’s how he survived homelessness and horrific injury in almost two decades without a decision
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:59 AM
‘“I have a few simple words to say to the Home Office: you destroyed my life,” he says. “How can they hold on to a person for 17 years who has done nothing wrong? Being an asylum seeker here is like living in an open prison.’
Reposted by Victor Shammas
Ex-Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro 'tried to open ankle monitor' with soldering iron in 'escape attempt', court documents allege
Ex-Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro 'tried to open ankle monitor' with soldering iron in 'escape attempt', court documents allege
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after allegedly trying to open his ankle monitor with a soldering iron in a bid to flee and avoid a jail term, according to court documents.
news.sky.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Ex-Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro 'tried to open ankle monitor' with soldering iron in 'escape attempt', court documents allege
“Oxbridge teachers (or ‘dons’) sometimes came from families of wealth and privilege. They were not an intelligentsia raised on brains and diligence, but an elite of ease. The author writes, ‘There was aristocratic resistance to a proliferation of middle-class swots’.”
TWILIGHT OF THE DONS | Kirkus Reviews
Elites in crisis.
www.kirkusreviews.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
“Oxbridge teachers (or ‘dons’) sometimes came from families of wealth and privilege. They were not an intelligentsia raised on brains and diligence, but an elite of ease. The author writes, ‘There was aristocratic resistance to a proliferation of middle-class swots’.”
Never underestimate centrist Democrats’ capacity for self-sabotage: “The House voted 285-98 to approve a resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism” Friday morning … Eighty-six Democrats joined with Republicans to approve the measure.“
House votes to denounce ‘horrors’ of socialism ahead of Mamdani-Trump meeting
The incoming New York mayor will meet with the president at the White House this afternoon.
www.politico.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Never underestimate centrist Democrats’ capacity for self-sabotage: “The House voted 285-98 to approve a resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism” Friday morning … Eighty-six Democrats joined with Republicans to approve the measure.“
Right-wing media consolidation: “A merger of the Daily Mail and the Telegraph would redraw the traditional lines of Britain’s Fleet Street, creating one of the largest UK media groups and a dominant voice in rightwing politics.”
Daily Mail owner strikes £500mn deal for Telegraph
Tie-up would create one of the most powerful right-leaning media groups in Britain
on.ft.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Right-wing media consolidation: “A merger of the Daily Mail and the Telegraph would redraw the traditional lines of Britain’s Fleet Street, creating one of the largest UK media groups and a dominant voice in rightwing politics.”
Reposted by Victor Shammas
Great piece, so true.
‘The true definition of cancellation would be to disappear, left to exist only as an image in people’s minds. But that doesn’t often happen. TV interviews, podcasts, profiles and editorials can follow: “I Was Cancelled” or “Cancel Culture Ruined My Life”’.
on.ft.com/3XPPMFD
‘The true definition of cancellation would be to disappear, left to exist only as an image in people’s minds. But that doesn’t often happen. TV interviews, podcasts, profiles and editorials can follow: “I Was Cancelled” or “Cancel Culture Ruined My Life”’.
on.ft.com/3XPPMFD
It’s time to stop claiming people are ‘cancelled’
The phrase is permission not to think too closely
on.ft.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Great piece, so true.
‘The true definition of cancellation would be to disappear, left to exist only as an image in people’s minds. But that doesn’t often happen. TV interviews, podcasts, profiles and editorials can follow: “I Was Cancelled” or “Cancel Culture Ruined My Life”’.
on.ft.com/3XPPMFD
‘The true definition of cancellation would be to disappear, left to exist only as an image in people’s minds. But that doesn’t often happen. TV interviews, podcasts, profiles and editorials can follow: “I Was Cancelled” or “Cancel Culture Ruined My Life”’.
on.ft.com/3XPPMFD
While the Trump–Mamdani meeting “went well,” in the sense that Trump behaved himself and even seemed strangely protective, this could be even more dangerous for Mamdani’s political future than an outright feud between them: it forces a tone of reconciliation, which will only alienate Mamdani’s base.
Trump and Mamdani go from adversaries to allies after White House meeting
President Donald Trump has met the man who had proudly proclaimed himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare,” but he seemed to find the opposite.
apnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:57 AM
While the Trump–Mamdani meeting “went well,” in the sense that Trump behaved himself and even seemed strangely protective, this could be even more dangerous for Mamdani’s political future than an outright feud between them: it forces a tone of reconciliation, which will only alienate Mamdani’s base.
A French ICC judge placed under US sanctions for his work on the ongoing Gaza genocide case describes how sanctions have impacted his life: no Amazon, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard; severely restricted banking; hotel bookings canceled—"like being sent back to the 1990s." www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
November 21, 2025 at 9:59 AM
A French ICC judge placed under US sanctions for his work on the ongoing Gaza genocide case describes how sanctions have impacted his life: no Amazon, PayPal, Visa or Mastercard; severely restricted banking; hotel bookings canceled—"like being sent back to the 1990s." www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
As the UK Labour Party tacks rightward, is it any wonder that the Greens are rocketing ahead in the polls?
On migration, the difference between them is palpable: while Labour boasts of 50,000 “returns,” the Greens want to treat “all new migrants as potential citizens” who can “feel at home here.”
On migration, the difference between them is palpable: while Labour boasts of 50,000 “returns,” the Greens want to treat “all new migrants as potential citizens” who can “feel at home here.”
November 21, 2025 at 7:03 AM
As the UK Labour Party tacks rightward, is it any wonder that the Greens are rocketing ahead in the polls?
On migration, the difference between them is palpable: while Labour boasts of 50,000 “returns,” the Greens want to treat “all new migrants as potential citizens” who can “feel at home here.”
On migration, the difference between them is palpable: while Labour boasts of 50,000 “returns,” the Greens want to treat “all new migrants as potential citizens” who can “feel at home here.”
Shocking: The U.S. Coast Guard “will no longer classify the swastika…as a hate symbol, according to a new policy that takes effect next month. Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as ‘potentially divisive’ under its new guidelines.“
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
wapo.st
November 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Shocking: The U.S. Coast Guard “will no longer classify the swastika…as a hate symbol, according to a new policy that takes effect next month. Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as ‘potentially divisive’ under its new guidelines.“
Right-leaning social democrats may lose—to the left: “Polling earlier this month…had the Green Left (Socialistisk Folkeparti), the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) and the Alternative (Alternativet) in a position to form a left-leaning majority without the support of the Social Democrats.”
Centre-left tipped to lose Copenhagen for first time in electoral history
Political rivals say PM’s divisive politics have encouraged voters to ditch the Social Democrats for the far right
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Right-leaning social democrats may lose—to the left: “Polling earlier this month…had the Green Left (Socialistisk Folkeparti), the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) and the Alternative (Alternativet) in a position to form a left-leaning majority without the support of the Social Democrats.”
Reposted by Victor Shammas
‘We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people,’ said the lead author of a new study from Dartmouth University.
AI can impersonate humans in public opinion polls, study finds
‘We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people,’ said the lead author of a new study from Dartmouth University.
l.euronews.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM
‘We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people,’ said the lead author of a new study from Dartmouth University.
Reposted by Victor Shammas
“Few books in political theory foreground the author’s biography this much. But it lands.”
My LARB review of Furious Minds by Laura Field. A terrific book. @princetonupress.bsky.social:
lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-mo...
My LARB review of Furious Minds by Laura Field. A terrific book. @princetonupress.bsky.social:
lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-mo...
A Mole in MAGA’s Midst | Los Angeles Review of Books
Alexandre Lefebvre reads “Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right” by Laura K. Field.
lareviewofbooks.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:20 PM
“Few books in political theory foreground the author’s biography this much. But it lands.”
My LARB review of Furious Minds by Laura Field. A terrific book. @princetonupress.bsky.social:
lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-mo...
My LARB review of Furious Minds by Laura Field. A terrific book. @princetonupress.bsky.social:
lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-mo...
Reposted by Victor Shammas
An early test of the future Mamdani-Trump dynamic? Security clearance.
Before taking office as NYC's mayor, Mamdani will need a top-level security clearance from the federal government — something Trump has revoked before to punish his political enemies.
Before taking office as NYC's mayor, Mamdani will need a top-level security clearance from the federal government — something Trump has revoked before to punish his political enemies.
An early test of a Mamdani-Trump relationship? Security clearance.
The president has revoked security clearances as a way to punish political enemies.
www.politico.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:48 PM
An early test of the future Mamdani-Trump dynamic? Security clearance.
Before taking office as NYC's mayor, Mamdani will need a top-level security clearance from the federal government — something Trump has revoked before to punish his political enemies.
Before taking office as NYC's mayor, Mamdani will need a top-level security clearance from the federal government — something Trump has revoked before to punish his political enemies.
“In his ruling, Judge Fitzpatrick said that when Ms. Halligan appeared…in front of the grand jury in September to seek an indictment accusing Mr. Comey of lying to and obstructing Congress in 2020 testimony, she made at least two “fundamental and highly prejudicial” misstatements of the law.”
Judge Says Justice Dept. May Have Committed Misconduct in Comey Case
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
“In his ruling, Judge Fitzpatrick said that when Ms. Halligan appeared…in front of the grand jury in September to seek an indictment accusing Mr. Comey of lying to and obstructing Congress in 2020 testimony, she made at least two “fundamental and highly prejudicial” misstatements of the law.”