Articles by Martin W. Lewis
GeoCurrents Summer Schedule

GeoCurrents returns to publication this week. New posts are planned for each weekday going forward. Two themes will command our attention for the remainder of this summer. One is a GeoCurrents atlas of global human development, which will entail original maps based on the UN’s Human Development Index. Today’s post gives an indication of what this atlas will look like. …
GeoCurrents Resumption

Dear Readers,
After a long hiatus, GeoCurrents will resume publication on July 1, 2022. I have officially retired from Stanford University, and I now have much more time on my hands for blogging about geography-related issues.
Martin Lewis
GeoCurrents Suspension

Dear Readers,
I am sorry to say that I have decided to suspend the publication of new posts on GeoCurrents for at least one year. I will reconsider this decision in June 2017, and I may begin posting again at that time.
I have very much enjoyed writing for this site, and I do hope to return to it at some time. …
Lecture Slides on Cannabis Legalization

Dear Readers,
The slides from my final lecture of the academic year are available at the link below. The lecture examined the impending legalization of cannabis in California, as well as its status elsewhere in the world.
Cannabis Legalization
Lecture Slides for U.S. Primary Presidential Election, 2016

Dear Readers,
The slides from my recent lecture on the U.S. primary presidential elections of 2016 are found at the link below:
2016 US Primary Election
Slides on “The Good News from Africa”

Dear Readers,
My lecture this week for my class on the history and geography of current global events focused on the “good news” from Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the southern half of the continent. The slides are available at the link here: Good News From Africa
Caste Controversies Slides

Dear Readers,
The slides from my recent lecture on caste controversies in India and on a related controversy about teaching Indian/South Asian history in California are available at the link below:
Caste Controversies in India
Lecture Slides on The South China Sea and China’s Geopolitical Strategies

The slides from my lecture last week on the South China Sea and China’s Geopolitical Strategies are available at the link below:
South China Sea; China’s Geopolitical Strategy
Lecture Slides on Brexit and Euroscepticism

The slides from my lecture this week on the upcoming “Brexit” vote and the rise of populist Euroscepticism across Europe are available at the link below:
Brexit & Populist Euroscepticism
Lecture Slides on Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh

The slides from my lecture this week on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region are available at the link below, in pdf format.
Armenia, Azerbaijan & Nagorno Karabakh
Lecture Slides on Kurdistan

Dear Readers,
My lecture this week for my course on the history and geography of current global events examined the Kurds and the idea of Kurdistan. The slides from this lecture are available at the link below.
Lecture on the Kurds and Kurdistan
The Brazilian Crisis: Lecture Slides

This week’s lecture on the history and geography of current global events examined the on-going political and economic crisis in Brazil. The lecture slides, converted to PDF format, can be found at the links below. (As the file was large, it was divided into two parts.)
I ended the lecture with some images and comments pertaining to my frustrations with the idea …
ISIS Lectures Slides in PDF

As several readers noted that they were unable to open the PowerPoint version of my ISIS lecture slides, I tried to post them in the original Keynote format. Unfortunately, the file was too large to post. As a result, I decided to export the file and post it instead as a PDF. That version is available here at the link.
(You can …
Lecture Slides on ISIS

Dear Readers,
For the next 10 weeks I will be teaching a lecture course on the history and geography of current events, which is offered in two versions, one for Stanford students and the other for the community at large through Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. This class is very demanding on me, as I must come up with new 70-minute lectures …
Customizable Maps of Europe, Asia, Etc.

This final GeoCurrents post offering free customizable maps provides maps of Europe, southern and eastern Asia, southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa, and the exclusive economic zones of the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. Two versions of the Asia map are provided, one of which is superimposed on physical map. These customizable are available at the link at the bottom of …