Past Events

A discussion about groundbreaking cultural theorist and critic Stuart Hall led by Bill Schwarz (Queen Mary, London).

In a small settlement in late 1960s Israel, Jewish immigrants from India are confronted with a community of Moroccan Jews and find themselves embroiled in a clash of cultures.

A multidisciplinary and cross-cultural consideration of the various manifestations and theories of the Imagination.

David Shulman, one of the world’s foremost Indologists, is this year’s Avenali lecturer-in-residence. Shulman has written capaciously on Indian thought and religion, language, poetics, theater, and aesthetics.

Professor Emerita of Film & Media and Rhetoric Linda Williams’ book examines the HBO television series The Wire (2002-2008). She argues that the series transforms close observation into an unparalleled melodrama by juxtaposing the good and evil of individuals and institutions. Introduction by Professor Alan Tansman.

Panelists discuss higher education programs in prison and after release, and their effects on experiences and opportunities during reentry.

The story of Rosina da Silva, the sophisticated eldest daughter of a wealthy Jewish Italian family living in a small enclave in London in the 1840s, who accepts a position as a governess in Scotland.

Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures Luba Golburt's book examines the complex place of the eighteenth century in the subsequent Russian literary tradition, tracing how later Russian writers paradoxically view the epoch as both formative and obsolete. Introduction by Professor Harsha Ram.

Filmmaker Safinez Bousbia tells the story of a group of Algerian Jewish and Muslim musicians who were torn apart by the Algerian Revolution (1954-1962) and reunited 50 years later for an exceptional concert.

Writers, artists, and scholars from Latin America and the U.S. gather for a two-day symposium exploring 21st century Latin America with an emphasis on the transitions and crises that have marked the cultural field.