Michael Yarbrough (he/him)
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mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Michael Yarbrough (he/him)
@mwyarbrough.bsky.social
5.7K followers 2.5K following 2.5K posts
JD/PhD. Interdisciplinary sociologist, law & society, transnational gender & sexuality. I research marriage, esp in S Africa. And I organize with colleagues to defend higher ed. Opinions mine not employer's.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2802-3365
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mwyarbrough.bsky.social
This picture is my love language
Zohran Mamdani, who has a dominant lead over multiple crooked losers in the NYC mayor's race, standing with members of the PSC-CUNY union at the Labor Day parade IN their red t-shirts. Mamdani is smiling and facing the camera with a sign that reads "STOP THE WAR ON UNIVERSITIES!"
September 6, 2025 at 4:25 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
looks like they're headed uptown
map of uptown Manhattan focused on 2nd avenue between 59th and 60th street. The Tramway Plaza for the tram to Roosevelt Island is in a red square as the final scavenger hunt spot, at the base of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.
August 24, 2025 at 8:40 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
The Jack Whitten show @moma.bsky.social is a REVELATION. His manipulation of paint creates visual experiences I've never had before. Literal layers to the paintings that reveal themselves as you approach them. Show also has great archival material.

If you're in NYC, RUN DON'T WALK! CLOSES AUGUST 2!
Jack Whitten painting, a tribute to WEB DuBois. An oblong shape on a dark brown background, filled with a mosaic of colors and textures created out of manipulated acrylic paint. Title card for the painting. Black Monolith VII (DuBois Legacy: For W. E. Burghardt) 2014. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy Charlotte and Herbert S. Wagner III
July 17, 2025 at 8:15 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
New horizons in the presentation of visual art: the current exhibition at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City is presenting scents inspired by some of the artworks. This one smelled like burning wood.
A painting of a green, yellow, and red flame producing a tall plume of black smoke The explanation placards describing how the museum commissioned the creation of scents inspired by the artworks The name and author of the painting: Fuego verde en el Paricutín by Gerardo Murillo
June 21, 2025 at 10:19 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
NYC's #NoKings also had a creepy surveillance drone hanging out like a hovering spider
Floating black drone backed by blue-grey clouds
June 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Another crowd shot from #NoKings in Manhattan today. The mood near me was more stoic than in the first term but still with joy and hope, and also more crowded!
Huge and packed crowd with signs, US flags, and raincoats marching down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, framed by skyscrapers on both sides
June 14, 2025 at 8:47 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Crowds out in Manhattan to tell wannabe dictators to fuck off
Big crowd of people packed into streets by Bryant Park in Manhattan
June 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
#LSAChicago2025 folks, if you want to get involved in defending higher ed against authoritarian attacks, come find me to learn more about@wearehighered.bsky.social. I have stickers!

You can recognize me by my bootleg Cowboy Carter t-shirt
Stack of wearehighered.org stickers in red and black Bald middle-aged white guy (me!) in a Beyoncé t-shirt with West African wax print overshirt
May 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
If you're at #LSA2025 and want to get involved in defending higher ed against authoritarian attacks, come find me!

I'm wearing one of @wearehighered.bsky.social 's t-shirts that reads "Hands off our students" and I can tell you how to get your own.
Bald white guy (me!) in black t-shirt with woodblock print that says "hands off our students" which you can get through wearehighered.org
May 22, 2025 at 2:50 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Any São Paulo folks out there?

My partner and I will be presenting a double-header talk about our research on anti-abortion movements (him) and maritonormativity (me) at the USP anthropology Department next Wednesday afternoon. Details in pic.
Pink and orange flyer with info on two talks at USP In Wednesday 23 April at 2 pm
April 17, 2025 at 9:19 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
And pp 5-6 are an FAQ list that could also be used by activists working for similar compacts elsewhere. It takes up questions like:

Isn't this just symbolic?

Won't this draw more attention to us?

Aren't our institutions quietly cooperating already?

Check out their smart answers!
FAQ #4 from the UMass-Amherst MADC resolution addresses a common objection from many administrators. It reads: Q: But there are many efforts by our institution’s administration to quietly fight this behind the scenes with legal action. Doesn’t this muddy the waters? We appreciate both the visible and quieter work that our leaders have been tirelessly engaging in to support our institutional values. Multiple experts and scholars have pointed out that we are on the verge of a constitutional crisis. The federal government is barely following court orders, plus historical evidence shows that the fight has to happen simultaneously in the form of public resistance along with legal action. Just as the federal government gave in to public resistance re steep tariffs with a ninety-day pause, if enough people and institutions take action and speak out against this injustice, we have a chance of the government rolling back these higher ed incursions.
April 16, 2025 at 3:12 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Page 4 is an appendix showing historical precedents for this kind of cooperation. It highlights shared values and existing organizations that can be platforms for negotiating a compact.
Excerpt from appendix to UMass-Amherst Mutual Academic Defense Compact resolution, which reads: 1. Shared Values Across Institutions Massachusetts institutions—public and private—have a strong collective identity tied to academic excellence, freedom of inquiry, and democratic ideals. Most institutions already collaborate through organizations like the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE). These can serve as potential convening platforms. 2. Historical Precedents There are already networks for cross-institutional coordination (e.g., Five Colleges Consortium, Boston Consortium, and Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center). These show that institutions can and do cooperate on shared infrastructure, policy, and advocacy when mutual interests are clear.
April 16, 2025 at 3:08 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Two years ago today I posted the proofs of the into to the Research Handbook on Law, Movements and Social Change.

In the opening vignette, I argued that the the January 6 assault on the US Capitol, though illegal, was also an attempt to entrench a form of authoritarian legality.
Cover of Research Handbook on Law, Movements and Social Change edited by Steven A. Boutcher, Corey S. Shdaimah, and Michael W. Yarbrough. Red cover with name of volume and authors above a picture of a fiery street protest scene. Published by Edward Elgar press in their Research Handbooks in Law and Society series.
April 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
But relative to other sectors, we have advantages to leverage.

And the public is crying out for leadership from somewhere. Higher ed can provide that and catalyze something bigger. And in the process, we can remind everyone of our true value, something we desperately need to do.

wearehighered.org
Logo for ad hoc group "We Are Higher Ed." Name of group appears in white block letters on red trapezoid background, shadowed by "est. 2025" in white letters on black background. Our website gathers information on both attacks on higher ed across the US and activist responses to these attacks. These include several letters signed by people committing to stand up for the value of higher education and academic freedom. Our own general letter, open to anyone who wants to sign, is at bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEd
March 30, 2025 at 2:53 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
This exciting resolution from Rutgers University Senate is exactly the kind of model I think higher ed needs: a mutual defense pact of, in this case, Big 10 schools. They call for member institutions to create a joint defense fund and make resources available to any member institution under attack.
Excerpt from Rutgers University Senate resolution calling for a Mutual Academic Defense Compact. The excerpt reads: "BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Rutgers University Senate urges the President of Rutgers University to formally propose and help establish a Mutual Academic Defense Compact (MADC) among all members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, under this compact, all participating institutions shall commit meaningful funding to a shared or distributed defense fund. This fund shall be used to provide immediate and strategic support to any member institution under direct political or legal infringement;"
March 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
The yea votes on Hegseth's nomination. Let 'em have it, constituents! From now until they are out of politics for good.

www.senate.gov/legislative/...
List of Yea votes on Hegseth's nomination to be Secretary of Defense. 50 Yeas. (VP Vance broke the tie.) All are Republicans: Banks, IN; Barrasso, WY; Blackburn, TN; Boozman, AR; Britt, AL; Budd, NC; Capito, WV; Cassidy, LA; Cornyn, TX; Cotton, AR; Cramer, ND; Crapo, ID; Cruz, TX; Curtis, UT; Daines, MT; Ernst, IA; Fischer, NE; Graham, SC; Grassley, IA; Hagerty, TN; Hawley, MO; Hoeven, ND; Husted, OH; Hyde-Smith, MS; Johnson, WI; Justice, WV; Kennedy, LA; Lankford, OK; Lee, UT; Lummis, WY; Marshall, KS; McCormick, PA; Moody, FL; Moran, KS; Moreno, OH; Mullin, OK; Paul, KY; Ricketts, NE; Risch, ID; Rounds, SD; Schmitt, MO; Scott, FL; Scott, SC; Sheehy, MT; Sullivan, AK; Thune, SD; Tillis, NC; Tuberville, AL, Wicker, MS; Young, IN
March 24, 2025 at 7:13 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
My senior capstone advisee is seeking participants for her study about jury decisions in sexual assault cases. It involves reading some documents relating to a hypothetical case then responding whether you would have found the defendant guilty or not. Full information is in the attached image. Thx!
Pink and yellow flyer for a survey for a student research project by Katherine Cummings at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. US citizens ages 18+ are eligible to participate. The study asks volunteers to read a case brief and closing statements for a case involving a sexual assault, then decide how you would have found the defendant, and finally enter your demographic data. Participation is voluntary, and answers will be kept anonymous. Direct link to the study is https://jjay.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cheAf5F24YrXlc
March 22, 2025 at 9:35 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
These statements about ICE presence on Columbia campuses were released by Columbia on Sunday March 9. No word in either about Khalil's detention.

communications.news.columbia.edu/news/stateme...

communications.news.columbia.edu/news/further...
Full text of Columbia University's 3/9/25 statement on ICE presence on their campus: "There have been reports of ICE around campus. Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings. Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community." Full text of second statement by Columbia University on 3/9/25 about ICE presence on their campus: "There have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus. Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. We want to again communicate to our campus community that we have a protocol in place, which includes phone numbers to call in case you are approached on or off campus. Consistent with this protocol, and consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including residential University buildings. Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community. We are also committed to the legal rights of our students and urge all members of the community to be respectful of those rights."
March 10, 2025 at 3:46 AM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Spotted on the streets of Buenos Aires: "putxs organizadxs" AKA organized whores, using x as a gender-neutral Spanish word ending

But please tell me again how "Latinx" is just a woke gringo thing
Grafitti tag on building scaffolding in Buenos Aires that reads PUTXS ORGANIZADXS in black letters
March 3, 2025 at 8:39 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Happy Carnaval from Montevideo!
A crowd of Carnaval reveles dancing with drums in the street, wearing mostly green and yellow. An older person in black and white stripes is filming them on their phone from the front. Street completely filled with Carnaval partiers in purple yellow and green. Party lights in the upper left corner of the frame add to the fun. One of the Carnaval drummers is a male-presenting person with curly black hair and a cool purple yellow and green mask painted across his nose and cheeks. View of the partiers from above. A yellow and black flag is carried in front, followed by a yellow green and purple flag, followed by someone twirling torches lit on fire, with the crowd of dancing drummers making their way down the street in the back. A light arch with a star design stretches across the street above them all.
February 27, 2025 at 1:39 AM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
This happened on a plane I was on yesterday (not in the US)
Two bare human feet, presumably attached to legs, propped on the aisle armrest of an airplane seat
February 23, 2025 at 3:26 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
I'm heading home from Jakarta, where I've been at a legal pluralism conference. I was supposed to stay longer, but I've had terrible insomnia to the point that it's affecting my health and was worsening by the day. But I did manage one day of sightseeing 🙏🏻. See alt text 👇🏻
Bronze statues arranged in rows with one delivering a speech to the others in a lecture hall. It represents an early Indonesian anticolonial meeting at the STOVIA medical school, which was set up by the Dutch and whose students became key early leaders of anticolonial resistance. Front view of a Catholic cathedral in downtown Jakarta with white wiry spires soaring out of the towers. It faces the mosque in the next picture to symbolize religious harmony. A view of the mosque mentioned in the earlier picture, mostly hidden by trees but with a white dome visible atop a modernist facade of white columns The National Monument of Indonesia, a supper phallic white column topped by a pointy tip
January 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Post your queen
Cover of Joni Mitchell's Hejira album. Moody and wintry black and white photo of Joni in black coat and beret with an image of an open highway superimposed on her torso.
December 29, 2024 at 10:01 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
Love this description of NYC in Toni Morrison's Tar Baby: "that barfly with the busted teeth and armpit breath"
Excerpt from Tar Baby describing the character Jadine's arrival in New York. "Jadine's sat in the taxi barely able to see over her luggage in the seat in front of her. Unlike the anxiety-ridden man in a Hilton bathtub, she wanted to giggle. New York made her feel like giggling, she was so happy to be back in the arms of that barfly with the busted teeth and armpit breath. New York oiled her joints and she moved as though they were oiled. Her legs were longer here, her neck really connected her body to her head."
December 20, 2024 at 2:59 PM
mwyarbrough.bsky.social
show us your pet and what they're named for
Xander and Willow: gray tuxedo cat next to brownish gray striped cat showing her white belly, both on a red plaid flannel blanket Xander and Willow: characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, young white man in a burgundy shirt and young white woman in red shift with navy blue sweater
October 19, 2024 at 7:24 PM