Past Events

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.

Beatriz Sarlo is a scholar of Latin American literature and culture and one of the most important Argentine literary and cultural critics of the last 40 years. Her Una’s Lecture examines populism in relation to Borges’ work, to the paintings of the distinguished artist Daniel Santoro, and to its most recent avatar, found in post-pop political populism.

Professor of Art History Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby’s book illustrates how a runaway slave, Sojourner Truth, gained fame in the nineteenth century as an abolitionist, feminist, and orator and earned a living partly by selling photographic images of herself at lectures and by mail.

This film recounts the personal story of Moris Albahari, a Sephardic Jew from Sarajevo, who spoke Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), his native tongue, to survive the Holocaust. The screening will be followed by a short 1929 documentary film, rediscovered in 1992, portrays Sephardic community life in Macedonia, Turkey, Yugoslavia, and Romania, including rare footage of Jewish schools, residential quarters, synagogues, and cemeteries.

The first event in The [in]Justice System series, The Life Cycle of the Problem, examines the school-to-prison pipeline, race and poverty, mental health, health care, solitary confinement, and more.

Professor of Music James Davies’ book explores the very matter of musical experience; the hands and voices of virtuosic musicians and singers who plied their trade between London and Paris in the nineteenth century.

World-renowned composer Kaija Saariaho is in residence in the Department of Music during the Fall 2015 semester. In addition to master classes and private lessons with student composers, she participates in a number of appearances, including five public Bloch Lectures featuring conversations with several of her distinguished collaborators.