 |
Power, fall 2007
The question of power lies at the heart of dialogue. Where does power lie in our culture, in both its outer and inner dimensions, and how does that shape the possibilities for dialogue? How do we, through dialogue, find access to the power of the collective? When do we choose to remain silent? What is the power of silence, and of listening? These and other questions were explored in a range of talks, panels and events.
 War of the Walls
Rebellion and Graphic Art in Oaxaca
The Photographs of Aaron Tukey
September 18 - December 11
Dana Commons, second floor lounge
When dialogue fails, people struggling for empowerment may seek other ways to have their voices heard. In Oaxaca, Mexico, some are speaking out through the Mexican tradition of political wall art. Everywhere you look 'graffiti' is crying out the frustrations of the people. And every morning, state-funded crews are out in force to paint over the protesters’ voices. This so-called 'War of the Walls' is symbolic of the power struggle between the people of Oaxaca and their government – who, in the hands of the same political party for nearly eight decades, have been largely unresponsive to citizens' requests for power-sharing. Photographer Aaron Tukey captured this in a series of photographs taken in the Spring of 2007 – "In the war over Oaxaca's walls, I began to see reflections of broader questions over the incremental enclosure of public space, and the role of art in social change."
LEARN MORE
READ Aaron Tukey's essay War of the Walls
VISIT Aaron Tukey's website
Don't Just Talk at Someone - Sit There!
Toward Dialogue and Engagement on Global Warming
Monday, October 29 @ 7:30pm
Dana Commons, second floor lounge
To address climate change at all levels of society requires that people become engaged in a conversation about possible solutions, needed support, and different trajectories of our future. Susi Moser invited us into dialogue about global warming, its implications and ways to address it, and about what future we would like to create for ourselves and our children. Moser is a Research Scientist in the Institute for the Study of Society and Environment (ISSE) at NCAR; Visiting Professor at Marsh Institute (AY2007-08), and the editor of Creating a Climate for Change (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
Bridging the Impossible
Confronting Barriers to Dialogue between Germans/Jews/Palestinians
Thursday, November 1 @ 7:30pm
Dana Commons, second floor lounge
The trauma of the Holocaust and the ever-present Palestinian-Israeli conflict make dialogue between Jews and Germans and between Jews and Palestinians extremely difficult, if not impossible. Is it yet possible to bridge ‘the impossible’? Julia Chaitin, Senior Lecturer, Sapir Academic College, Hof Ashkelon, Israel, looked at the barriers that often confound dialogue – such as opposing narratives of the past and present in the Jewish-Palestinian case, and the boundaries of ‘perpetrators’ and ‘victims’ that rigidify relations between Jews and Germans. She then explored techniques that can open up dialogue for deeper understanding of self, and of the other, creating a new way of relating to one’s ‘enemies.’ Following the talk, Thomas Kühne, Strassler Professor in Holocaust History at the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies moderated a panel including Debórah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History and Director, Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Rebecca Phillips, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology; Srinivasan Sitaraman, Assistant Professor, Department of Government; and Pamela Steiner, Project Director, Inter-Communal Violence and Reconciliation Project, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Cosponsored by the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
LEARN MORE
VIEW video of this event
A Life in Two Genders
Women's Voices: Past and Present / part one
Tuesday, November 6 @ 7:30pm
Atwood Hall
Jennifer Finney Boylan is the author of She’s Not There, the first bestselling book by a transgendered American. By turns hilarious and deeply moving, Boylan’s book examines the territory that lies between male and female, as she did in her talk. A three-time guest of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Jenny has also appeared on Larry King Live, the Today Show, and been the subject of a documentary on CBS News’ 48 Hours. In March of 2007, she played herself on several episodes of ABC’s All My Children. Jennifer Boylan is Professor of English at Colby College in Maine, where she teaches American literature, cultural studies, and fiction writing. Sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Affairs.
LEARN MORE
VIEW video of this event
Regendering History
Women's Voices: Past and Present / part two
Wednesday, November 7 @ 7:30pm
Dana Commons, second floor lounge
Lisa Kasmer, Assistant Professor of English, explored eighteenth-and nineteenth-century women’s history writing, which she argues was one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the time-period. During a time we usually view as particularly bereft of women’s political engagement, women’s histories and historical fiction extended the political and generic possibilities of history writing, or “regendered” history, and, in doing so, attempted to legitimize women’s participation in the public sphere. This writing, then, interrogates both our understanding of gender and of women’s writing in the past. Following the talk, a panel of Clark faculty who research the topic of gender, including Professor Amy Richter (History), Professor Kristen Williams, Professor Valerie Sperling and Professor Srinivasan Sitaraman (all Government) will continue the conversation.
Power, Ethics, Science & Technology at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age
a reading and conversation
Tuesday, November 13 @ 7:30pm
Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts
Les Blatt, Professor of Physics, and Gino DiIorio, Associate Professor of Theater, presented excerpts from Michael Frayn’s controversial play Copenhagen, a multi- faceted musing on the enigmatic 1941 meeting of peacetime research colleagues but bitter wartime opponents Werner Heisenberg and Neils Bohr. Between readings, the audience was invited to comment on dilemmas posed by the play, either from historical or contemporary perspectives – or both.
War of the Walls
Examining the Power Relationships Behind Political Street Art in Oaxaca
Thursday, November 15 @ 7pm
(reception & exhibition preview 6-7:00)
Dana Commons, second floor lounge
Building on the photographs of Oaxaca’s public protest art taken by photo-journalist Aaron Tukey, a panel of observers and activists, including photographer Aaron Tukey, Clark Geography Professor Dianne Rocheleau, and Elizabeth Kubick of the group Witness For Peace, shared their experiences of the larger ongoing struggle in Oaxaca between the citizens and their government – especially since June of 2006 when simmering tensions erupted during an aggressive police raid on striking teachers. They also pointed toward signs of hope as they envisioned Oaxaca’s journey toward meaningful dialogue and a more just sharing of community power.
Encounter Point
film screening and conversation cafe
Tuesday, November 27 @ 7:30pm
Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts
What kinds of power are available to those who have borne the brunt of war and loss? Encounter Point is an award-winning feature documentary that follows a former Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their lives and public standing to promote a nonviolent end to the conflict. The film explores what drives them and thousands of other like-minded civilians to overcome anger and grief to work for grassroots solutions.
Talking about the Subtleties of Power without the Paranoia
Some Feminist Clues
Wednesday, December 5 @ 7:30pm
Jefferson 320
Feminists have done much to make visible the myriad forms that power can take – and the surprising, even intimate, sites where power is wielded. Becoming alert to all the forms and places where power might be wielded can make one see it everywhere, and that in turn can, of course, create barriers to trust. Cynthia Enloe, Research Professor in IDCE and Women’s Studies, lead us in exploring that conundrum, and its relationship to our ability to create and participate in dialogue.
LEARN MORE
VIEW video of this event
 Into Great Silence
film screening
Our screening of the film Into Great Silence – originally scheduled for December 11th – has been cancelled.
However, Cinema 320 will be screening the film on the following dates: Tuesday 11/27 @ 7:30, Thursday 11/29 @ 7:30, Saturday 12/1 @ 7:30, Sunday 12/2 @ 1:00.
 top _____________________________________
|
