Cynthia Enloe, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, took the stage at Tilton Hall, waved off the audience’s applause, and declared:
“Okay. The whole point of this event is this hoodie.”
Enloe turned away from the audience to display on the back of her hoodie a printed list of descriptions for “the truth,” beginning with “The truth is hard” and ending with “The truth is more important now than ever.”
The longtime professor and researcher then dived into what was her final scheduled lecture, “Feminist Curiosity is for These Dark Times.” It was a fitting coda to a professional lifetime of truth-seeking, and was followed by a parade of well-wishers, colleagues past and present, and appreciative former students who greeted her with bouquets and hugs.
I’ve learned so much from activists, because they keep thinking. They keep analyzing. You have to keep thinking so that you can make your next action, make your next alliance.
Cynthia Enloe
When I was an undergraduate here, I understood, and many students I knew understood, that you were a giant of this faculty.
President David Fithian ’87
In these dark times, globally, nationally, in Worcester, Mass., taking our cues from you around collegiality, feminist generosity, and feminist curiosity toward our students and each other is really the way we can have the Cynthia Enloe legacy live on.
Professor Ellen Foley
Curiosity is not passive. Curiosity is discomforting. Curiosity unsettles. Curiosity is part of being engaged in the world.
Cynthia Enloe
I think about the skeptics of liberal arts degrees and think, ‘If they could just take a class with Professor Enloe, they’d walk away and understand why liberal arts is so important to address the issues we’re facing today, and the issues we face throughout life.’
Roy DiNicola ’90, chair of the Clark Board of Trustees,
on taking a class with Cynthia Enloe as a Clark sophomore in 1987
If the truth doesn’t feel hard, then you don’t have the truth. If it doesn’t feel hard to find, it’s not the truth. If it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, you’re probably not there yet.
Cynthia Enloe
