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Acts of civilian violence have long plagued parts of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. Extant research debates whether countries that rely on natural resource revenue for economic solvency are more or less likely to experience such violent events. This analysis takes a novel approach to this issue, examining the unique effects of publicly and privately controlled oil and gas rents on civilian violence in the MENA region from 1990 to 2004. Data on civil violence events are drawn from the World Handbook of Political Indicators IV. Results indicate that publicly owned oil and gas rents reduce civilian violence, while privately owned oil and gas rents do not significantly affect such events. This lends support to the notion that oil and gas rents are not necessarily a curse, and can actually foster a "rentier peace." More broadly, these results underscore the importance of delineating ownership structure when examining the relationship between natural resources and conflict.

AbstractNations with an abundance of natural resources suffer disproportionately from internal violence, especially civil wars. State reliance on external sources of rent revenue, or rentierism, can lead to violence for several reasons. This article examines three of the primary explanations for the association. A common explanation is that rebel groups are motivated to fight in pursuit of natural resource wealth. An alternative explanation is that grievances, at times resulting in violence, can manifest if rent revenue is used by the state to repress or ignore the citizenry. A third explanation notes that rentier states are structurally weak and therefore vulnerable to violent challenges because elites frequently use rent revenue for personal or political reasons, not national interest. This article also considers where this line of study might be headed, given recent developments. I suggest that future research on rentierism and violence should examine an array of rent revenue streams, not just natural resources. In addition, scholars should take note that resource industries are increasingly privatizing, which has important implications for the classification of rents and, more generally, the study of rentierism.

AbstractThe breakdown of cultural categories in the 1960s was perceived as liberating, but by the 1970s Americans increasingly felt uneasy and directionless. The liminality of social categories was evident in popular culture, such as superhero comics. Examining how Jack Kirby melded superhero and cosmic horror tropes in the Fantastic Four, Fourth World, and Eternals series reveals how Kirby's work initially celebrated human significance but increasingly decentered humans from his narratives. The challenge to cultural and genre boundaries that seemed liberating in the 1960s, left people anomic and directionless by the mid‐1970s, replacing posthumanist optimism with anti‐humanist pessimism.

Editorial for "Appropriating, Interpreting, and Transforming Comic Books," edited by Matthew Costello, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 13 (2013).

Lee Weeks discusses how he moved from fan to professional, the influences on his art, and his current perceptions of the comics industry and superheroes across media.

Editorial for "Appropriating, Interpreting, and Transforming Comic Books," edited by Matthew Costello, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 13 (2013).