Turning Points in History: 2021-2022 Event Series

JULY 11 AS A TURNING POINT IN CUBAN HISTORY?

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 6-7:30pm ET

Described as the largest anti-government protests since 1994, widespread public demonstrations against the Cuban government began on 11 July 2021 and remain ongoing. How did the paradoxical convergence of repressive measures and the widening access to non-censored information, mainly via 3G mobile service, spark the #SOScuba movement? What role does social media play in its facilitation? This webinar will discuss the role of artists in Cuban civic life, contextualizing the 27N and San Isidro movements within the Cuban revolution, the subsequent consolidation of the Communist Party's control over artistic expression.

Speakers:

• Dr. Coco Fusco, Interdisciplinary Artist and Writer
• Dr. María A. Cabrera Arús, Part-Time Faculty, New York University

Moderated by Dr. Hilary Whitham Sánchez, Postdoctoral Research Associate, National Gallery of Art

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Center for Political Theology, the Center for Statistics and Data Science Education, the Cultural Studies Program, CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Department of Communication, the English Department,  the Latin American Studies Program, and The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Villanova University

ACS approved

RETHINKING LATIN AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Wednesday, April 6, 6-7:30 pm ET
The year 2020 marked the beginning of a decade-long commemoration of Latin American independence movements. These bicentennial celebrations invite us to revisit how we understand the creation of these nations and their significance as turning points in history. How were the various independence movements in Spanish American colonies related to Brazilian independence? How did these processes shape the Age of Atlantic Revolutions?

Speakers:

• Dr. Marcela Echeverri, Associate Professor of History, Yale University
• Dr. João Paulo Garrido Pimenta, Professor of History, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
• Dr. Alejandro Rabinovich, Associate Professor of History and Researcher, CONICET and Universidad de la Pampa, Argentina

Moderated by Dr. Cristina Soriano, Associate Professor of History, Villanova University

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Center for Political Theology, the Center for Statistics and Data Science Education, the Cultural Studies Program, CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Department of Communication, the English Department, and The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Villanova University

ACS approved

MARCH: 1619

THE 1619 PROJECT AS A TURNING POINT IN HISTORY

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 6-7:30pm ET

Was the publication of The 1619 Project in The New York Times Magazine a turning point in history? Why has it generated so much public controversy? Join us for a roundtable discussion about the impact of this important essay collection with historians and journalists, including the Editor-in-Chief of The New York Times Magazine.

Speakers:

• Dr. Austin McCoy, Assistant Professor of History, Auburn University
  
• Ms. Jake Silverstein, Editor-in-Chief, The New York Times Magazine
  
• Ms. Linda Villarosa, Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine

Moderated by Dr. Terry Nance, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Professor, Villanova University

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Center for Political Theology, the Center for Statistics and Data Science Education, the Cultural Studies Program, CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Department of Communication, the English Department, and The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Villanova University

ACS approved

1619 AS A TURNING POINT IN HISTORY

Wednesday, March 9, 6-7:30pm ET

The year 1619 marks the first arrival of Africans on Virginia soil. Why is this year considered a turning point in the history of the United States? Join us for a conversation with The 1619 Project contributor Dr. Leslie Alexander about the significance of 1619 for our understanding of US American history.

Speaker:

• Dr. Leslie Alexander, Fellow, Society for the Humanities, Cornell University, and Associate Professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies, Arizona State University.  

Moderated by Dr. Maghan Keita, Professor of History and Global Interdisciplinary Studies, Villanova University

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Center for Political Theology, the Center for Statistics and Data Science Education, the Cultural Studies Program, CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Department of Communication, the English Department, and The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Villanova University

ACS approved

FEBRUARY: PHILADELPHIA

GENTRIFICATION AND RESIDENTIAL RACIAL SEGREGATION IN PHILADELPHIA

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 6-7:30pm ET

A recent article in the The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that Philadelphia is one of the most racially segregated cities in America. Join us for a conversation with a local public historian and the journalists who broke the story for a historically informed conversation about the past and present history of residential segregation in Philadelphia.

Speakers:

• Ms. Faye Anderson, Director, All That Philly Jazz
  
• Ms. Michaelle Bond, Residential Real Estate Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer
  
• Mr. Aseem Shukla, Data Reporter and Developer, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Moderated by Ms. Inga Saffron, Journalist and Architecture Critic, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Center for Political Theology, the Center for Statistics and Data Science Education, the Cultural Studies Program, CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Department of Communication, the English Department, and The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Villanova University

ACS approved

THE MOVE BOMBING: A TURNING POINT IN THE HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA?

Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 6-7:30pm ET

Was the bombing of the home of MOVE organization on May 13, 1985, a turning point in the history of Philadelphia? How are scholars and activists reclaiming the narrative by creating archives to preserve local histories and combat erasure? How can we historically contextualize the recent revelations about the Penn Museum’s use of human remains as “teaching tools”? Join us for a conversation with local activists and scholars about the significance of the MOVE bombing for the city’s history.

Speakers:

• Mr. Mike Africa Jr., Activist, writer and host of the podcast "Ona Move w/Mike Africa, Jr."
  
• Dr. Krystal Strong, Assistant Professor of Education and Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania  

Moderated by Dr. Crystal J. Lucky, Professor of English and Associate Dean of Baccalaureate Studies, CLAS, Villanova University

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Center for Political Theology, the Cultural Studies Program, CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the English Deparment, The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Villanova University; and The Paul Robeson House & Museum.

ACS approved

WWI AND THE MAKING OF MODERN DIASPORAS

Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 6-7:30pm ET

Co-sponsored by the Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies, Villanova University

MIGRATIONS ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA

Wednesday, November 3, 2021, 6-7:30pm ET

• Dr. Leisy Abrego, Professor and Chair in the Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies, UCLA
• Dr. Jason De León, Professor of Anthropology and Chicana, Chicano, and Central American Studies at UCLA and Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project
  
• Dr. Amelia Frank-Vitale, Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer, Program in Latin American Studies, Princeton University
  

Moderated by Dr. Raúl Diego Rivera Hernández, Associate Professor, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and Director of the Latin American Studies Program, Villanova University

Co-sponsored by the Latin American Studies Program and the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Villanova University

GLOBAL HISTORIES OF WHITE SUPREMACY

Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 6-7:30 pm ET

As the world watched in shock, white supremacists stormed the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. Was this a “turning point” in history? How are the actions and ambitions of contemporary white supremacists shaped by modern histories of anti-Black and anti-Asian racism and the historical ambition in “white man’s countries” to create a world order based on racial domination and exclusion?

Speakers:

• Dr. Kathleen Belew, Assistant Professor of US History and the College, University of Chicago
• Dr. Duncan Bell, Professor of Political Thought and International Relations, University of Cambridge
• Dr. Mae Ngai, Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and Professor of History, and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, Columbia University

Moderated by Dr. Vincent Lloyd, Associate Professor, Christian Ethics and Theories & Methods of Culture, and Director of the Africana Studies Program, Villanova University

Co-sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, the Asian Studies Program, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the CLAS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Villanova University

WHITE SUPREMACY AND CLASSICAL ATHENS: A TURNING POINT? 

Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 6-7:30 pm ET

White supremacist groups often fetishize ancient Sparta, but how and why are they also drawing on classical Athens? Are we witnessing a “turning point” in how white supremacists use ancient Greek societies as historical models?

Speakers:

• Dr. Curtis Dozier, Assistant Professor of Greek and Roman Studies, Vassar College and Director of Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics
• Dr. Rebecca Futo Kennedy, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Denison University
• Dr. Jackie Murray, Associate Professor of Classics and African American and Africana Studies in the Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department, University of Kentucky
  

Moderated by Dr. Eliza Gettel, Albert R. Lepage Assistant Professor of History, Department of History, Villanova University

Co-sponsored by the Classical Studies Program, Villanova University

INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 6-7:30pm ET

Indigenous peoples around the world are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. How have Indigenous scholars’ historical and cultural perspectives contributed to conversations about climate change? How do Indigenous perspectives powerfully shape national and international climate justice movements?

Speakers:

• Dr. Clint Carroll, Associate Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder
  
• Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley
  
• Dr. Daniel Wildcat, Professor and Director of the Environmental Research Studies Center, Haskell Indian Nations University

Moderated by Dr. Paul Rosier, Mary M. Birle Chair in American History, Department of History, Villanova University

Co-sponsored by the Department of Geography and the Environment, Villanova University

TURNING POINTS IN HISTORY WITH DIPESH CHAKRABARTY 

Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 6:00-7:30pm ET

Moderated by Dr. Elizabeth Kolsky, Director, Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest, Villanova University

Co-sponsored by the Center for Irish Studies and the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Villanova University