Roopika Risam

@roopikarisam.bsky.social

8.7K followers 1.9K following 5K posts

Author of DATA EMPIRE (Harper & Torva, July 2026), Chair of Film & Media Studies at Dartmouth 💚, equestrian🐴, https://roopikarisam.com

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Roopika Risam is an associate professor of film and media studies and of comparative literature and faculty in the Digital Humanities and Social Engagement cluster at Dartmouth College. She was formerly Chair of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education and Associate Professor of Education at Salem State University. She is a scholar of digital and postcolonial humanities. .. more

Art 25%

Communication & Media Studies 21%

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Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · Dec 8

AAAAAAAAAAH. Publisher's Weekly named DATA EMPIRE one of the top 10 history books to look for Spring 2026!!!!!!!! www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Spring 2026 Fiction & Nonfiction Preview: History

This season, culture wars and their origins are dissected, fascism and its opponents are profiled, and enclaves of the rich and famous are infiltrated.

www.publishersweekly.com

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 1d

Land back.

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 1d

Trump talks about Denmark and Greenland just now: "The fact that they landed a boat there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land."

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Martin McKee, Will Jennings , and 10 more Anna O. Law, Martin McKee, Will Jennings, Thomas Backhaus, Steve Peers, Charles West, Alan Richardson, Roopika Risam, Scott A. Imberman, David Rosnick, Georg Weizsäcker, Klaus Oschema, Nicole Guenther Discenza

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 1d

Trump talks about Denmark and Greenland just now: "The fact that they landed a boat there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land."

Reposted by Roopika Risam

WEATHER IS HAPPENING @weatherishappening.com · 2d

/ BOSTON PROTEST
/ NO WAR AT HOME
/ NO WAR ABROAD
/ FIGHT TRUMP'S WAR ON VENEZUELA AND STOP ICE TERROR ACROSS THE US
/ SATURDAY JANUARY 10TH
/ 12 PM
/ STATE HOUSE 24 BEACON ST
/ FROM www.instagram.com/p/DTRIl6MlUqJ/

PROTEST

NO WAR AT HOME
NO WAR ABROAD
FIGHT TRUMP'S WAR ON VENEZUELA AND STOP ICE TERROR ACROSS THE US

SAT JANUARY 10 @ 12 PM
STATE HOUSE, 24 BEACON ST

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

I am literally shaking. Two days in a row. (Source is the local ABC affiliate) katu.com/news/local/i...

US Border agents shoot two people in Portland, city officials say

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents shot two people in Portland on Thursday afternoon, according to Portland city councilors.The shooting occurred near Ea

katu.com

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

Virtual #MLA26 talk in the books. Truly a wonderful panel organized by @shreethorat.bsky.social on digital humanities & Palestine.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

I thought I couldn’t be anymore angry.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 2d

Minneapolis public schools canceled classes officials after Roosevelt High School said armed Border Patrol officers came on school property during dismissal Wednesday and began tackling people, handcuffed two staff members and released chemical weapons on bystanders
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Minneapolis schools cancel classes after Border Patrol clash disrupts dismissal at Roosevelt

Minneapolis schools closed for the week citing safety concerns after an encounter involving armed Border Patrol agents near Roosevelt High School.

www.mprnews.org

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 2d

Minneapolis schools cancel classes after Border Patrol clash disrupts dismissal at Roosevelt

Minneapolis schools closed for the week citing safety concerns after an encounter involving armed Border Patrol agents near Roosevelt High School.

www.mprnews.org

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

When has what is technically legal actually protected the most vulnerable people anyway? At first it was a privilege to not see it — now it’s just delusional.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

I have a lot of “the government won’t do x, y, z, that’s not legal!” people in my life, who think I’m hysterical for being concerned about any of it. Perhaps extrajudicial killing will be a wake up call?

All In with Chris Hayes @allinwithchris.bsky.social · 2d

@chrislhayes.bsky.social: “A 37-year-old American citizen, the mother of a young child is dead tonight. She was shot in the face by an agent of the federal government, and that government has spent the day telling despicable lies about her.”

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

Rightfully so. Feels like everything just gets worse.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

This is a real banner week for genAI images, from Maduro to Grok to this.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

“AI-generated images, in many cases, ‘distracted the public from images of the actual suspect,’ she said.” The confuence of unregulated tools, lagging digital literacy, and humans being awful… www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/07/m...

‘This is only going to get worse.’ AI-generated images complicated search for Brown shooting suspect. - The Boston Globe

False claims about the shooter were amplified online by bots, elected officials, influencers, and even prominent business leaders.

www.bostonglobe.com

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations!!!

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Nicholas A. Christakis, John Horgan , and 11 more Anne Applebaum, Nicholas A. Christakis, John Horgan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Roopika Risam, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Kate Starbird, Greg Linden, Albin Wagener, Manisha Sinha

All In with Chris Hayes @allinwithchris.bsky.social · 2d

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 2d

Been listening to Katabasis on audiobook and it is absolute PERFECTION.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

My giveaway face almost made a colleague who absolutely should not crack up in a meeting struggle mightily with composure. This is the Clinique free gift with purchase of having me around.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

I suppose one might make for argument that 3 gives you an added perspective if 2 disagree but realistically I’ve never seen a letter saying don’t hire this person… and rarely see a damn with faint praise or half-hearted one.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

But how will the fiction of meritocracy continue to thrive?

Reposted by Roopika Risam

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 3d

Nice review of @alanallport.bsky.social in the NYT this morning

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/b...

Why the British Were Afraid of Winning World War II

www.nytimes.com

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

Right?!! Pray tell, what will #4 offer that the first three cannot.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

Whaaaaaaaat.

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

My mind is blown that jobs are now requesting four letters from candidates because I would not have known where to get a fourth letter when I was a grad student with a three-person committee. I was also (and still am) allergic to asking for rec letters so I would have just not applied 😭

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 3d

Two meetings today and an evening spent editing this AI (broad umbrella term, not genAI) forum have been extremely positive antidotes to the stressful ways the topic was showing up in my life last term. It’s only one day, but I’ll take it. 🤓

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 4d

TBH, I thought “contact juggling” was going to be something else entirely!

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 4d

They’re not even pretending not to do crimes

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 4d

If only the conversation could even get that far here!

Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 4d

Relatedly, today I was editing a wonderful essay for a forum I’m curating on AI in which the author expertly distinguishes between commercial GenAI and truly fantastic uses of other forms of AI for digital humanities, for an audience of not-DH people. More of that please.