identity diaspora essay

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Essential Essays, Volume 2

Identity and diaspora.

• Stuart Hall
• Edited by: David Morley
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Duke University Press
• Copyright year: 2018
• Audience: Professional and scholarly;
• Main content: 352
• Published: December 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781478002710

• Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity and Diaspora

In this Book

• Stuart Hall
• Published by: Duke University Press
• Series: Stuart Hall: Selected Writings

Table of Contents

• Title, Copyright
• A Note on the Text
• pp. vii-viii
• Acknowledgments
• General Introduction
• Part I | Prologue: Class, Race, and Ethnicity
• One. Gramsci's Relevance for the Study of Race and Ethnicity [1986]
• Part II | Deconstructing Identities: The Politics of Anti-Essentialism
• Two. Old and New Identities, Old and New Ethnicities [1991]
• Three. What Is This "Black" in Black Popular Culture? [1992]
• Four. The Multicultural Question [2000]
• Part III | The Postcolonial and the Diasporic
• pp. 135-140
• Five. The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power [1992]
• pp. 141-184
• Six. The Formation of a Diasporic Intellectual: An Interview with Stuart Hall by Kuan-Hsing Chen [1996]
• pp. 185-205
• Seven. Thinking the Diaspora: Home-Thoughts from Abroad [1999]
• pp. 206-226
• Part IV | Interviews and Reflections
• pp. 227-234
• Eight. Politics, Contingency, Strategy: An Interview with David Scott [1997]
• pp. 235-262
• Nine. At Home and Not at Home: Stuart Hall in Conversation with Les Back [2008]
• pp. 263-300
• Part V | Epilogue: Caribbean and Other Perspectives
• pp. 301-302
• Ten. Through the Prism of an Intellectual Life [2007]
• pp. 303-324
• pp. 325-340
• Place of First Publication
• pp. 341-342

Additional Information

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Essential Essays, Volume 2

Identity and diaspora.

Stuart Hall: Selected Writings

More about this series

Author: Stuart Hall

Editor: David Morley

Subjects Sociology > Social Theory , Media Studies , Cultural Studies

"Anyone whose work is informed, 'in the last instance,' by Cultural Studies will find much that is helpfully familiar in it as well as new connections, new applications, new ways of '[penetrating] the disorderly surface of things to another level of understanding,' as Hall says, invoking Marx, in the epilogue. This seems especially urgent as the ascendancy of the far Right coincides with the wholesale neoliberalization of the humanities, as Hall predicted in his 'Theoretical Legacies' lecture. It is obviously not a question of 'going back' to Hall for a truer or more 'authentic' form of Cultural Studies than that in practice today. But there is much in his legacy that illuminates the dynamics of the present, and much to put into dialogue with contemporary scholarship and practice. Morley's collection reminds us how important it is for genuine intellectual work to articulate competing and contradictory paradigms together, to work, as Hall did, from the points of contestation and conflict rather than seek solace in abstractions. This, finally, is the 'essential' in the essays assembled here."  — Liane Tanguay, American Book Review

"I have also narrated the effort it took for me to access his work to illustrate the importance of the Selected Writings now being released by Duke University Press. It is an event of profound historical significance that a new generation will be able to begin its political and theoretical education with systematic access to Hall’s writing. . . . The two-volume Essential Essays shows the broad scope of his work." — Asad Haider, The Point

"It was one of Hall’s unique gifts to offer analysis of the moment as it unfolded before our eyes. I am sure I am not alone in having found his talks exhilarating in ways I could never quite understand, given that the news he relayed with such energy was almost unremittingly dire. Hall offered his readings as interpretation and self-commentary, tracing his own intellectual path." — Jacqueline Hall, New York Review of Books

“Stuart Hall was our most brilliant thinker on identity and struggle.” — Robin D. G. Kelley

"Hall's writings make an extremely important contribution not only in our understanding of the past and the cultural, political, sociological, and theoretical formations that Hall analyzed, but as documents that provide us with powerful political and theoretical tools to understand our present and change our future." — Hazel Carby

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• Author/Editor Bios
• Table of Contents
• Additional Information

Stuart Hall (1932–2014) was one of the most prominent and influential scholars and public intellectuals of his generation. Hall appeared widely on British media, taught at the University of Birmingham and the Open University, was the founding editor of New Left Review , and served as the director of Birmingham's Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. He is the author of Cultural Studies 1983: A Theoretical History ; Familiar Stranger: A Life Between Two Islands ; and other books also published by Duke University Press. David Morley is Professor of Communications, Goldsmiths, University of London, and coeditor of Stuart Hall: Conversations, Projects, and Legacies .

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• Acknowledgments Introduction VIJAY AGNEW Part 1: Diaspora and Memory * Language Matters VIJAY AGNEW * Memories of Internment: Narrating Japanese-Canadian Women's Life Stories PAMELA SUGIMAN * Wounding Events and the Limits of Autobiography MARLENE KADAR Part 2: History and Identity * Memoirs of a Sirdar's Daughter in Canada: Hybridity and Writing Home RISHMA DUNLOP * Ghosts and Shadows: Memory and Resilience among the Eritrean Diaspora
• ATSUKO MATSUOKA and JOHN SORENSON * A Diasporic Bounty: Cultural History and Heritage VIJAY AGNEW Part 3: Community and Home * Diaspora and Cultural Memory ANH HUA * Gendered Nostalgia: The Experiences of New Chinese Skilled Immigrants in Canada IZUMI SAKAMOTO and YANQIU RACHEL ZHOU * 'I Feel Like a Trini': Narrative of a Generation-and-a-Half Canadian 230 CARL E. JAMES * The 'Muslim' Diaspora and Research on Gender: Promises and Perils HAIDEH MOGHISSI * The Quest for the Soul in the Diaspora
• VIJAY AGNEW Afterword SUSAN E. BABBITT Contributors.
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Diaspora and Identity

• First Online: 08 February 2020

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• S. Behnaz Hosseini 2  

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In this chapter, central theories and concepts used in the study, such as religious-transnationalism and ethnicity are elaborated. The first section examines the tendency of Yārsānis to endorse Iranian nationalism, their perception of religion and ethnic boundaries, the freedom that Yārsāni experience in Sweden in contrast with Iran and Iraq, and how they relate to their own concrete experiences as Kurds within these countries. The second section discusses how Yārsānis’ identity is threatened by the Islamic establishment in Iran; it also focuses on the ways Yārsāni employ to counteract these threats, as well as on how their religion has been affected in the process. In addition, because of the salience of minority rights as a political template, several Yārsānis with political backgrounds formulate different activities in Sweden to disclose their persecution to the international community.

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Hosseini, S.B. (2020). Diaspora and Identity. In: Yārsān of Iran, Socio-Political Changes and Migration. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2635-0_2

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Diaspora and Cultural Identity: A Conceptual Review

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Dr. Ajay S A H E B R A O Deshmukh

Shadow Diaspora deals with the experiences of illegal migrants or undocumented migrants. It highlights the predicament of all those migrants who are refugees in host country as result of human trafficking, political upheavals in home country, or war like situations. Discourse on Shadow diaspora brings out the pathos of human suffering at the hands of administrative system as well as manipulation of such people at various juncture by people knowing their identity as illegal migrants. These people are being treated as shadows and are bereaved of existence as ahuman entity amid migrant and host country's official status. Apart from this, it also covers problems in different diasporic aspects such as assimilation, hybridization, refugee, dominant-recessive relationship, power politics, alienation and discrimination. Shadow in diasporic culture is a person or migrant's homeland, culture, a dressing style, food, religion, language, race. A migrant expresses his shadow through his language and culture in a foreign land. The present paper is an attempt to understand the Shadow diaspora from its legal as well as official documentation perspectives. In this context, it traces the problems of illegal migrants and their predicament. On the other hand, it also traces the shadow as a metaphor of past that hovers over the immigrants and inherent issues of diasporic situations.

»Sicher in Kreuzberg«

Hem Raj Kafle

Diaspora discourse involves at least two critical dimensions: the first concerns the issue of naming, guided by such questions as whom to call diaspora and under what criteria; the second extends this process of naming to the establishment of diaspora as a comprehensive theory for studying multiple forms of migrations. This article outlines the insights of some of the most repetitively consulted scholars in diaspora studies. My attempt is to synthesize their conceptualizations into a representative research framework.

Chanzo Greenidge

A narrow, state-centric, and ahistorical approach to the definition and study of Diaspora cannot be justified by the dangers of promiscuous categorization, a desire for simplicity or practicality, or even lacunae in theories of migration. In addition to reconstructing a definition and typology of Diaspora that is applicable to a post-positivist view of the social sciences, and in particular international political economy, this article is an attempt to ‘rescue' Diaspora from its own entrenched victimhood, as well as from the elements of an overarching discourse that conspire to hide its applicability to the wider global political economy.

floya anthias

Anna Harutyunyan

Jorge Yeshayahu Gonzales-Lara

The purpose of these essays is to offer some scopes to migrations in the Age of Globalization from various perspectives. Globalization has had an impact on international migration because it is not only the simple desire for better employment opportunities, it is much more complex, because the migrant maintains social relations on both sides of the borders, developing multiplerelationships; Iinterracial marriages,and romantic relationships between people of different nationalities, , have had an impacto in relations between individuals.. And this phenomenon is positive for mitigating intolerance between nationalities and races by histories of border or territorial conflicts. These relationships have become a positive phenomenon for migrations, interpersonal interaction, sharing cultures. By migrating on their own displacement, the individual carries with them their culture, their social capital and expands creating transmigration spaces in the receiving country. Migrants create transmigrational spaces in the country that choose their new residence and bring with them their cultural values, creating ethnic spaces (gastronomic spaces, ethnic music-cultural spaces, religious worship spaces). Today the word diaspora arises in a world of "global migrations, refugees and related issues".

Global Networks

Victoria Redclift

Dahlstedt, Magnus & Neergaard, Anders (eds) International Migration and Ethnic Relations: Critical Perspectives, London: Routledge [forthcoming]

Magnus Dahlstedt

In this chapter we introduce the concept of diaspora and some of its key theoretical perspectives which have developed from current research in the field. These are then illustrated with examples drawn from the Kurdish diaspora in Sweden. The purpose of this chapter is to give theoretical tools that can contribute to a better understanding of transnational relations and movements among various groups, emerging in the wake of globalization and the ‘age of migration’. However, we will start by giving a brief background of the concept of diaspora.

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Cultural Identity and Diaspora [1990]

• Published: April 2021
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2021. "Cultural Identity and Diaspora [1990]", Selected Writings on Race and Difference, Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy, Ruth Wilson Gilmore

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Selected Writings on Race and Difference

Stuart Hall (1932–2014) was one of the most prominent and influential scholars and public intellectuals of his generation. Hall taught at the University of Birmingham and the Open University, was the founding editor of New Left Review , and was the author of Cultural Studies 1983: A Theoretical History , Familiar Stranger: A Life Between Two Islands , and other books also published by Duke University Press.

Paul Gilroy is Professor of the Humanities, Institute of Advanced Studies at University College London.

Ruth Wilson Gilmore is Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and of American Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

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From NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher: Thoughts on our mission and our work

The message below was sent by NPR's President and CEO to all staff:

This has been a long week. I'll apologize in advance for the length of this note, and for it being the first way so many of you hear from me on more substantive issues. Thanks for bearing with me, as there's a lot that should be said.

I joined this organization because public media is essential for an informed public. At its best, our work can help shape and illuminate the very sense of what it means to have a shared public identity as fellow Americans in this sprawling and enduringly complex nation.

NPR's service to this aspirational mission was called in question this week, in two distinct ways. The first was a critique of the quality of our editorial process and the integrity of our journalists. The second was a criticism of our people on the basis of who we are.

Asking a question about whether we're living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions. Questioning whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning.

It is deeply simplistic to assert that the diversity of America can be reduced to any particular set of beliefs, and faulty reasoning to infer that identity is determinative of one's thoughts or political leanings. Each of our colleagues are here because they are excellent, accomplished professionals with an intense commitment to our work: we are stronger because of the work we do together, and we owe each other our utmost respect. We fulfill our mission best when we look and sound like the country we serve.

NPR has some of the finest reporters, editors, and producers in journalism. Our reporting and programming is not only consistently recognized and rewarded for its quality, depth, and nuance; but at its best, it makes a profound difference in people's lives. Parents, patients, veterans, students, and so many more have directly benefited from the impact of our journalism. People come to work here because they want to report, and report deeply, in service to an informed public, and to do work that makes a difference.

This is the work of our people, and our people represent America, our irreducibly complex nation. Given the very real challenges of covering the myriad perspectives, motivations, and interests of a nation of more than 330 million very different people, we succeed through our diversity. This is a bedrock institutional commitment, hard-won, and hard-protected.

We recognize that this work is a public trust, one established by Congress more than 50 years ago with the creation of the public broadcasting system. In order to hold that trust, we owe it our continued, rigorous accountability. When we are asked questions about who we serve and how that influences our editorial choices, we should be prepared to respond. It takes great strength to be comfortable with turning the eye of journalistic accountability inwards, but we are a news organization built on a foundation of robust editorial standards and practices, well-constructed to withstand the hardest of gazes.

It is true that our audiences have unquestionably changed over the course of the past two decades. There is much to be proud of here: through difficult, focused work, we have earned new trust from younger, more diverse audiences, particularly in our digital experiences. These audiences constitute new generations of listeners, are more representative of America, and our changing patterns of listening, viewing, and reading.

At the same time, we've seen some concerning changes: the diffusion of drivetime, an audience skewing further away in age from the general population, and significant changes in political affiliations have all been reflected in the changing composition of our broadcast radio audiences. Of course, some of these changes are representative of trends outside our control — but we owe it to our mission and public interest mandate to ask, what levers do we hold?

A common quality of exceptional organizations is humility and the ability to learn. We owe it to our public interest mandate to ask ourselves: could we serve more people, from broader audiences across America? Years ago we began asking this question as part of our North Star work to earn the trust of new audiences. And more recently, this is why the organization has taken up the call of audience data, awareness, and research: so we can better understand who we are serving, and who we are not.

Our initial research has shown that curiosity is the unifying throughline for people who enjoy NPR's journalism and programming. Curiosity to know more, to learn, to experience, to change. This is a compelling insight, as curiosity only further expands the universe of who we might serve. It's a cross-cutting trait, pretty universal to all people, and found in just about every demographic in every part of the nation.

As an organization, we must invest in the resources that will allow us to be as curious as the audiences we serve, and expand our efforts to understand how to serve our nation better. We recently completed in-depth qualitative research with a wide range of listeners across the country, learning in detail what they think about NPR and how they view our journalism. Over the next two years we plan to conduct audience research across our entire portfolio of programming, in order to give ourselves the insight we need to extend the depth and breadth of our service to the American public.

It is also essential that we listen closely to the insights and experiences of our colleagues at our 248 Member organizations. Their presence across America is foundational to our mission: serving and engaging audiences that are as diverse as our nation: urban and rural, liberal and conservative, rich and poor, often together in one community.

We will begin by implementing an idea that has been proposed for some time: establishing quarterly NPR Network-wide editorial planning and review meetings, as a complement to our other channels for Member station engagement. These will serve as a venue for NPR newsroom leadership to hear directly from Member organization editorial leaders on how our journalism serves the needs of audiences in their communities, and a coordination mechanism for Network-wide editorial planning and newsgathering. We're starting right away: next week we plan to invite Members to join us for an initial scoping conversation.

And in the spirit of learning from our own work, we will introduce regular opportunities to connect what our research is telling us about our audiences to the practical application of how we're serving them. As part of the ongoing unification of our Content division, Interim Chief Content Officer, Edith Chapin, will establish a broad-based, rotating group that will meet monthly to review our coverage across all platforms. Some professions call this a retro, a braintrust, a 'crit,' or tuning session — this is an opportunity to take a break from the relentless pressure of the clock in order to reflect on how we're meeting our mandate, what we're catching and what we're missing, and learn from our colleagues in a climate of respectful, open-minded discussion.

The spirit of our founding newsroom and network was one of experimentation, creativity, and direct connection with our listeners across America. Our values are a direct outgrowth of this moment: the independence of a public trust, the responsibility to capture the voice and spirit of a nation, a willingness to push boundaries to tell the stories that matter. We're no strangers to change, continuously evolving as our network has grown, our programming has expanded, and our audiences have diversified — and as we look to a strategy that captures these values and opportunities, the future holds more change yet.

Two final thoughts on our mission:

I once heard missions like ours described as asymptotic — we can see our destination and we strive for it, but may never fully meet it. The value is in the continued effort: the challenge stretches on toward infinity and we follow, ever closer. Some people might find that exhausting. I suspect they don't work here. I suspect that you do because you find that challenge a means to constantly renew your work, and to reinfuse our mission with meaning as our audiences and world continues to change.

The strongest, most effective, and enduring missions are those that are owned far beyond the walls of their institution. Our staff, our Member stations, our donors, our listeners and readers, our ardent fans, even our loyal opposition all have a part to play: each of us come to the work because we believe in it, even as we each may have different perspectives on how we succeed. Every person I have met so far in my three weeks here has shown me how they live our mission every day, in their work and in their contributions to the community.

Continuing to uphold our excellence with confidence, having inclusive conversations that bridge perspectives, and learning more about the audiences we serve in order to continue to grow and thrive, adding more light to the illumination of who we are as a shared body public: I look forward to how we will do this work together.

Cons and Disadvantages of Subculture

This essay about subcultures explores how they foster community and self-identity through shared interests and ideologies. It examines the Goth, Furry, and Prepper subcultures, highlighting their positive aspects and the challenges they face, such as societal misunderstanding and discrimination. The piece underscores the importance of addressing these drawbacks to cultivate a more inclusive society that values diverse cultural expressions.

How it works

Subcultures, those unique factions within broader societies, are critical for fostering a sense of community and self-identity among their members, based on common interests and ideologies. These groups contribute to the rich diversity and personal expression found within human societies. However, it’s equally important to critically address the drawbacks that accompany subcultures.

Take, for instance, the Goth subculture, which emerged in the late 1970s as an alternative to the prevailing cultural norms. Defined by its distinct style, dark aesthetic, and affinity for genres like gothic rock, this group offers a haven for those whose tastes diverge from the mainstream.

Yet, Goths often face significant challenges due to societal misunderstandings. Common stereotypes paint Goths as morose or antisocial, potentially leading to discrimination that hinders their social and professional opportunities.

Similarly, the Furry community, centered around enthusiasts of anthropomorphic animal characters, illustrates another vibrant subculture. Through art, cosplay, and conventions, Furries celebrate creativity and personal exploration. Despite these positive aspects, Furries frequently encounter ridicule and prejudice. Misconceptions about their interests can result in harassment and exclusion, posing barriers to freely enjoying and sharing their passion.

The Prepper subculture also offers an interesting case. Comprising individuals who prepare for various emergencies by amassing supplies and skills, Preppers are driven by a desire for autonomy and preparedness. This proactive approach provides security and peace of mind to its adherents. Nonetheless, the Prepper lifestyle can have its downsides, such as fostering isolation or paranoia, especially when individuals become excessively consumed by catastrophic scenarios, which can strain both resources and relationships.

In sum, while subcultures enrich society by supporting diverse expressions of identity and belonging, they also come with inherent challenges. Issues such as societal stigma, discrimination, and the risk of isolation need to be thoughtfully considered. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for building a more inclusive and understanding society that cherishes and respects diverse expressions of culture and identity.

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The Language of Gender Identity

More from our inbox:, power over principle in the g.o.p., upgrading our electric grid, shakespeare’s insights, still relevant today.

To the Editor:

Re “ The Problem With Saying ‘Sex Assigned at Birth, ’” by Alex Byrne and Carole K. Hooven (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, April 3):

Mr. Byrne and Ms. Hooven argue that use of “assigned sex” terminology “creates doubt about a biological fact when there shouldn’t be any.” But sex characteristics are not “a biological fact”; they are rather a series of facts — anatomical, hormonal and genetic — that are not always in alignment.

The term “sex assignment” derives from the medical literature of the 1940s and 1950s, in which physicians grappled with what was then called “hermaphroditism” and is now called “intersex” or “D.S.D.,” for disorders or differences of sex development.

To conclude that the words “assigned at birth” are needless is to deny the complexity of biological sex and to erase both the history of intersex conditions and the embodied reality of the people who are born and live with them.

Barbara M. Chubak New York The writer is an associate professor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Transgender people like me do not exist as a topic of rational debate, something to be tossed around in discourse; we are people, and our lives exist far beyond your philosophizing. Articles like this are not only unnecessary, but they are also harmful, patronizing and dehumanizing.

The phrase “sex assigned at birth” is causing no one any harm, and it is not meant to replace “sex.” We are not advocating the end of “male” and “female.”

“Sex assigned at birth” is simply meant to convey the following notion: This individual was born as one sex, but their current body and/or lived experiences may contradict that. It allows trans people the very medical clarity this article claims to strive for. If I, a trans man far into his medical transition, were to walk into a doctor’s office and claim to simply be “female,” utter confusion could follow.

But we should not have to defend ourselves under the guise of rational discourse. We have bigger issues. In Texas, my parents would be possibly liable for child abuse for allowing me to transition as a teenager — so stop treating us as if we do not know what we are talking about.

When people tell you the language that makes them the most comfortable, you use it and move on. You may believe sex to be black and white, as it may be the most convenient reality for you to live in, but for many of us, our bodies are the gray areas.

Max Greenhill New York

I fully agree with this essay: Biological sex is accurately recorded at birth; it is not arbitrarily “assigned.”

The reason activists are pushing the sex-assigned-at-birth terminology is not simply that they want more empathy and inclusiveness for trans persons, but that they want the public to believe that one’s birth sex was, as the authors say, an educated guess at best. If the public accepts that idea, they will be more agreeable to the idea that one’s misassigned sex needs to be corrected later when the individual is old enough to determine their “true, authentic self.”

Most adults don’t care what gender someone declares, but biological sex is a scientific fact. The range of “genders” now being proclaimed is making the whole concept of gender meaningless. Every behavior, feeling, mood, attribute, sexual orientation or social statement does not constitute a gender.

Mark Godburn Norfolk, Conn.

The problem is not that we are confusing the male/female binary; the problem is that the human gender story is bigger than a simple binary, and our language does not reflect that, but it should.

Intersex people exist and have always existed. People whose gender expression doesn’t match their biological presentation exist and have always existed. The authors are correct that language is powerful, but in this case they have the power dynamic exactly backward.

When we adhere to strict binary language, we are asking gender-abundant people to amputate whole parts of themselves. We need to allow people to flourish in the language that fits them.

As my 9-year-old recently explained to my 6-year-old, “You don’t really know what gender a baby is when it’s born, because you know their parts, but you don’t know their heart.”

Meghan Lin St. Paul, Minn.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for publishing this guest essay by Alex Byrne and Carole K. Hooven. In a society inundated with well-meaning absurdities such as “sex assigned at birth” and “pregnant people,” this message desperately needs to be broadcast, received and acted upon.

Mark Featherstone Alameda, Calif.

Re “ Sununu Says Trump ‘Contributed’ to Insurrection, but Still Has His Support ” (news article, nytimes.com, April 14):

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire now says he will support Donald Trump for president, even as he concedes that Mr. Trump “absolutely contributed” to an attempted insurrection on Jan. 6. Like many of his fellow Republicans, Mr. Sununu has chosen power over principle.

Ethics don’t flash on and off like neon lights. Integrity cannot be situational. And character isn’t a chameleon that shifts to secure political advantage. History will record all the elected officials who embraced Mr. Trump’s mendacity while looking away from the democratic principles they swore an oath to uphold.

Welcome to the club, Governor Sununu.

Maryellen Donnellan Falls Church, Va.

Re “ The U.S. Urgently Needs a Bigger Grid. Scientists Have a Faster Solution ” (Business, April 10):

The nation’s current power lines that were built in the 1950s and 1960s have a 50-year life expectancy, meaning that they have surpassed their intended life span. As the U.S. evaluates how to meet new electric demand, the materials in the grid must not just be replaced, but also efficiently planned and upgraded.

To lower energy costs and improve reliable access to electricity, we should use new technologies that allow more power to be transported across the same size transmission towers that are currently in use. Further, the same amount of power could be transported across smaller, low-impact towers, which could reduce siting and permitting obstacles — thus saving time and money.

Significant transmission capacity is required to meet rising demands on the electrical system, withstand frequent extreme weather events and balance a changing resource mix. Deploying improved technologies in constructing a nationwide transmission grid is key to meeting these needs — because America needs a modern grid now more than ever.

Christina Hayes Washington The writer is the executive director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.

With “ O.J. and the Monster Jealousy ” (column, April 14) and “ Trump’s Insatiable Bloodlust ” (column, April 7), Maureen Dowd evokes two of Shakespeare’s greatest characters — Othello and Macbeth — to demonstrate that the playwright’s insights remain as perceptive and significant today as they were more than 400 years ago.

As his friend and fellow dramatist Ben Jonson wrote of Shakespeare, “He was not of an age but for all time!”

Brad Bradford Upper Arlington, Ohio