As a child of el exilio, Cruz grew up with his two great themes: politics and memory.
"But it was about engaging and immersing students in language and culture and encouraging independent investigation, as the two texts cover so many different themes – politics, film, literature, drama.
Sometimes the mechanics of video games are used as a vessel to explore themes, politics, emotions, which is when they're more like art.
Defensiveness, resentment and denial are a running theme in politics.
But religion was a more popular theme than politics in artists' acceptance speeches, with many of the winners, including Missy Elliott and Ludacris, thanking or acknowledging God.
Then, toward the end of that season, and particularly in the glorious, languorous second season, "Treme" found its footing, as well as its strongest theme: not politics but the artist's life, not justice but beauty.
Even though the Pakistan Peoples Party and its partners have said Mr. Musharraf's removal is not their first concern, opposition to him remains the underlying theme of politics here.
Whenever the country is in an economically stagnant period, he suggested, the result is deep, bitter social fragmentation; people try to protect what they have against perceived attempts by others to take it away, and this defensive mistrust becomes a central theme of politics.
Around 70percentt of Peruvians say they are unsatisfied with the candidates on offer, a recurrent theme in politics here that fuels a tradition of volatile elections, with dissatisfied voters often making up their minds at the last minute.
More contentious themes like politics take longer to catch on, the researchers found.
"I've tended not to think epically, or take on big external themes like politics," Mr. Pierce said.
