Ben Chappell

@benchappell.bsky.social

1881 Followers 6805 Following

Antifascist. Interdisciplinary ethnographer. * studies. Midwesterner. Academic unionist. Loves mass transit and espresso. Hates structural violence and oligarchy.

A narrow path of grey cobblestone leads down a tight alley between two white, stucco walls. Well down the path a figure wearing a black backpack steps forward towards daylight.
Light streams into a Gothic cathedral, falling on a statue of a smiling woman holding a banner that reads Ave Maria
Trees and buildings on a river shore, glimpsed from beneath an ancient stone bridge
Blue sky glimpsed between red, yellow, green and orange buildings
Poster for a roundtable discussion: "The (In)Dependence of Knowedge? Academic Freedom Today, part of the conference In(ter) dependence: Transitions of Power, Frictions of Freedon, 17-19 June 2026. Leibniz ScienceCampus, Regensburg, Germany.
A postcard of a handwritten archival note in German. Walter Benjamin: "Marx says that revolutions are the locomotive of world history. But perhaps it is quite otherwise. Perhaps revolutions are an attempt by the passengers on this train – namely, the human race – to activate the emergency brake."
On a round wooden cafe table, a cloth hat, a candle and a silver bowl, a mug of pilsner, and an e-reader
Berlin's Bode Museum and Fernsehturm viewed from a bridge
Closeup view of splintered white wood from a great fallen tree
An old, towering Villa built of white plastered stone, glimpsed through some trees against a clear blue sky with a sliver of the Danube River just visible to the side
Diners at an outdoor cafe, viewed from the top down. A patio made of mixed bricks, trees, and string lights crossing the frame on a diagonal.
A thick layer of clouds arranged in a sharp line across the dusk sky
A postcard depicting the skyline of a university campus in blue silhouette, contrasted with a yellow sky, a button mirroring the same design, both marked with text identifying United Academics of the University of Kansas, UAKU-AFT-AAUP.
A vase of daffodils and a plate of pastries on a sunny table
A man in a wool cap and sunglasses faces the cameras, in the background the Volksbühne of Berlin and its signature sculpture of a wheel on feet
A red and yellow passenger train crosses an overpass over car and foot traffic in front of a building with a "1UP" graffiti tag.
The logo of the United Academics of KU AFT-AAUP labor union, surrounded by the words "Tentative Agreement Reached!"
Items dropped haphazardly on top of a dresser: a Timex weekender watch, a UAKU Union pin, a set of keys on a chain connected to an AAUP charm and a mini Opinel knife. An n95 mask. A card case with a Kansas driver's license, and a pen from Schloss Seggau.
A person in a wool coat with a baby carriage stands on a bridge in front of the Berlin Palast der Republik.
Two young people wearing casual '90s clothes stand in front of a faux German cottage in a photo print lightened with age.
A line of people with their backs turned, several in ribbon skirts, hold up signs protesting repression of migrant people.
About a dozen people hold a banner reading "Fair Contract Now" in front of a mural depicting John Brown and Bloody Kansas.
A half-page ad in a newspaper reads “Lawrence is a union town. Tell KU: Stop Union-Busting! A fair contract for faculty is an investment in our community. Email KU Chancellor Girod today. United Academics of the University of Kansas, AFT, AAUP, AFL-CIO, @weareku, uaku.org.” A QR code leads to https://tinyurl.com/writeDoug to contact the chancellor.
20-some people of varying ages and genders raise fists and hold signs reading "Fair Contract Now" in a nondescript institutional meeting room.
A combination of the Star Wars Rebel Alliance symbol and the Minnesota state bird. The Rebel Alliance symbol is a crescent shape that’s taller than it is wide, with a decorative flower or fountain forming a third spire in the middle. In this logo, a Minnesota Loon bird has its wings spread out and up for the side “wings.” For the middle spire, the loon’s head is looking up and to the right with one red eye visible.
The flag of Minnesota
A white man in a wool cap, scarf, cost and gloves stands in front of a painting of another white man in a business suit. The first person holds a sign reading "A contract is my respect language."
A wooden lectern in front of a projected slide photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A plate with tamales, rice, pickled onions and cilantro in the sunlight
A wall of flat flagstones, stained green and overgrown with time
Bare winter trees before a horizon of brown dormant prairie and greener turf closer to the camera
Cappuccino in a blue cup with latte art of a laurel leaf
Rough print of a bone with a nail through it, appearing in an oval frame nailed to a wall. Block letters read Flatline: Down to the Marrow.
Flower borders above and below text announcing ethnography caucus sessions at the American studies Association 2025, San juan, Puerto Rico. The listed sessions include friday, November 21st, opportunities for funding ethnographic research at 11:30 a.m. in 102b. Ethnography caucus fall meeting at 3:00 p.m. in green one. Saturday November 22nd, can ethnography exist absent DEI? 8:00 a.m. in 2:09b. Mapping Chicana/Mexicana voices in the borderlands at 3:00 p.m. in 102c.
A flip chart outside a meeting room reads 11/12, 10:00 - 3:00, An injury to one is an injury to all, There is power in a union, and a smiley face.
A can of tomatoes open at the top, with a plastic container inverted on it like a cap.
A sign with the iconic "I love New York" slogan with a heart. Hanging by wires from a scaffolding outside a city building.
Blue and yellow fields with block text reading "Peer Review Not Trump. U."
A small table with two books and a plate of apple slices. The books are how fascism works by Jason Stanley and unsettling by Gilberto Rosas.
Screen capture of a panel of text, reading Trump sent troops to Portland because right wing media told him to "I spoke to the governor, she was very nice. But I said, well wait a minute am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? President Donald Trump" Oregon sues to block deployment of troops.
A black metal sculpture with twisting limbs reaching up under a bright sky with clouds
A strip mall with a bakery in dim light as the sunrise turns the sky purple
A long-range mountain vista with some scrub evergreen plants and mossy rocks in the foreground
Sunset over the Hudson River with mountains beyond.
A list of the most assigned books at ivy League schools and public schools, highlighting Karl Marx's The Communist manifesto in the middle of each table.
Detail of an ornate store front with curly colored decorative motifs in stone, several boarded up windows and an art-deco sign reading A to Z Locksmith.
Bird's-eye view of a cappuccino in a blue cup and saucer, on a stone table with part of a woven seat chair in view, and small fallen leaves in the wooden floor
A stack of plastic stencils of slogans: Fee Palestine, Film the Police, Flatline
A guitar, amplifier, box fan, water bottle, and a rock- still life on a diy stage
The statues of the Marx-Engels Forum in Berlin, viewed from behind, and over their shoulders, the TV tower.
A few pedestrians walk past a sign reading Union station Kansas City towards a grassy Hill swarming with people in front of a monumental Stone building. Many carry signs. One reads if you aren't horrified you aren't paying attention.
A person leans into the railing of a crumbling concrete stair with yellow caution tape. Text reads "KU YDSA presents ROCK, an exhibition. Mar 27, 5:30 pm Strong Hall lawn."
Red, yellow, black, and green bars with block letters reading "We are not waste."
A stand of bright yellow daffodils in a garden bed covered with brown leaves
A white plate with a sliced, crusty bread roll. One half with white cheese, the other with orange fruit preserves
Strips of color, blue, white, yellow, red, black, with letters spelling "End I.C.E. We won't stand for extra-judicial secret police."