Roger Berkowitz addresses the audience at the annual conference of the
Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College.
Photo by Karl Rabe
Philosophy Salon: The Association of Slavery and Blackness in Early Modern Philosophy
Julia Jorati, Professor of Philosophy, UMass Amherst
Friday, March 1, 2024 12–1:30 pm
Hegeman 204A This talk examines the association between the notions “slavery” and “Blackness” in the 17th and 18th centuries—an association that plays a crucial role in the development of modern racist thought. Several philosophers in this period commented on the ways in which these notions started to be linked; some criticized this linkage while others embraced or accepted it. Among White Europeans, a new conception of slavery—according to which slavery is appropriate exclusively or almost exclusively for Black people—emerged in the early modern period, side by side with a new conception of Blackness. This new conception of Blackness served European colonial interests by making a suitability for slavery a distinctive feature of all Black people.Sponsored by: Philosophy Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
The Three Rs of Postwar Internationalism: Refugee, Return, Repatriation
Arie M. Dubnov, George Washington University
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4 pm
Hegeman 106 Three pivotal terms— "refugee," "return," and "repatriation" — played an exceptionally significant role in shaping international planning and discourse after World War II. Exploring the interconnections of international history and the history of political and religious concepts, the talk examines how these terms acquired distinct meanings within the framework of international policies and how they echo to this day in the context of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Arie M. Dubnov is the Max Ticktin Chair of Israel Studies. Trained in Israel and the U.S., he is a historian of twentieth century Jewish and Israeli history, with emphasis on the history of political thought, the study of nationalism, decolonization and partition politics, and with a subsidiary interest in the history of Israeli popular culture. Prior to his arrival at GW, Dubnov taught at Stanford University and the University of Haifa. He was a G.L. Mosse Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a participant in the National History Center’s International Decolonization Seminar, and recipient of the Dorset Fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and a was Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford.Sponsored by: Global and International Studies Program; Historical Studies Program; Human Rights Program; Jewish Studies Program; Middle Eastern Studies Program; Politics Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
North end of RKC Tibetan Buddhist Monks from Kumbum Chamtse Ling & Tashi Kyil Tibetan Buddhist Institute will generate a sand mandala dedicated to the aspiration for world peace in the atrium of RKC.
March 1–6 (Friday through Wednesday) the monks will construct the mandala from 10 am – 12:30 pm and 1:30–5 pm Closing Ceremony and Reception: Wednesday, March 6 at 3 pm All are welcome.Sponsored by: The The Warren Mills Hutcheson Endowed Fund in Religion and the Interdisciplinary Study of Religions Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
Weis Cinema This award-winning documentary delves into the violent campaign to build a Ram temple by the right-wing Hindu nationalist organization Vishva Hindu Parishad at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India. An incisive examination of religious fervor, politics, and communal tension, this film is particularly relevant today as the temple was consecrated amidst widespread communal violence in January this year.
This screening will be preceded by a discussion on religious nationalism—from India to Turkey—led by Professors Nabanjan Maitra and Karen Barkey.Sponsored by: Anthropology Program; Asian Studies Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion; Director, Institute of Advanced Theology
Monday, March 11, 2024 12–1:30 pm
Bard Hall During the past two millennia, systemic ruptures in the understanding of religion and society have shaped the cultural contours of all the lands that once comprised the Roman Empire. These schisms have of course featured in the histories of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, but they also have exerted a profound influence on the ways that people in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and later the Americas conceive of themselves of their relations with one another. Our series will deal in order with: (1) the emergence of Christianity from Judaism and the resulting contention, (2) the breach between the Latin West and the Greek East after the conversion of Constantine, (3) the rise of Islam and the proclamation of the Crusades, (4) the Reformation and its consequences, and (5) the opposition between religion and science in the modern period.
This series will be on the following Mondays at noon: March 11, March 25, April 8, and April 22.Sponsored by: The Institute for Advanced Theology.
For more information, call 845-758-7667, or e-mail [email protected].
Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion; Director, Institute of Advanced Theology
Monday, March 25, 2024 12–1:30 pm
Bard Hall During the past two millennia, systemic ruptures in the understanding of religion and society have shaped the cultural contours of all the lands that once comprised the Roman Empire. These schisms have of course featured in the histories of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, but they also have exerted a profound influence on the ways that people in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and later the Americas conceive of themselves of their relations with one another. Our series will deal in order with: (1) the emergence of Christianity from Judaism and the resulting contention, (2) the breach between the Latin West and the Greek East after the conversion of Constantine, (3) the rise of Islam and the proclamation of the Crusades, (4) the Reformation and its consequences, and (5) the opposition between religion and science in the modern period.
This series will be on the following Mondays at noon: March 25, April 8, and April 22.Sponsored by: The Institute for Advanced Theology.
For more information, call 845-758-7667, or e-mail [email protected].
Philosophy Salon: The Association of Slavery and Blackness in Early Modern Philosophy
Julia Jorati, Professor of Philosophy, UMass Amherst
Friday, March 1, 2024 12–1:30 pm
Hegeman 204A This talk examines the association between the notions “slavery” and “Blackness” in the 17th and 18th centuries—an association that plays a crucial role in the development of modern racist thought. Several philosophers in this period commented on the ways in which these notions started to be linked; some criticized this linkage while others embraced or accepted it. Among White Europeans, a new conception of slavery—according to which slavery is appropriate exclusively or almost exclusively for Black people—emerged in the early modern period, side by side with a new conception of Blackness. This new conception of Blackness served European colonial interests by making a suitability for slavery a distinctive feature of all Black people.Sponsored by: Philosophy Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
The Three Rs of Postwar Internationalism: Refugee, Return, Repatriation
Arie M. Dubnov, George Washington University
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4 pm
Hegeman 106 Three pivotal terms— "refugee," "return," and "repatriation" — played an exceptionally significant role in shaping international planning and discourse after World War II. Exploring the interconnections of international history and the history of political and religious concepts, the talk examines how these terms acquired distinct meanings within the framework of international policies and how they echo to this day in the context of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Arie M. Dubnov is the Max Ticktin Chair of Israel Studies. Trained in Israel and the U.S., he is a historian of twentieth century Jewish and Israeli history, with emphasis on the history of political thought, the study of nationalism, decolonization and partition politics, and with a subsidiary interest in the history of Israeli popular culture. Prior to his arrival at GW, Dubnov taught at Stanford University and the University of Haifa. He was a G.L. Mosse Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a participant in the National History Center’s International Decolonization Seminar, and recipient of the Dorset Fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and a was Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford.Sponsored by: Global and International Studies Program; Historical Studies Program; Human Rights Program; Jewish Studies Program; Middle Eastern Studies Program; Politics Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
North end of RKC Tibetan Buddhist Monks from Kumbum Chamtse Ling & Tashi Kyil Tibetan Buddhist Institute will generate a sand mandala dedicated to the aspiration for world peace in the atrium of RKC.
March 1–6 (Friday through Wednesday) the monks will construct the mandala from 10 am – 12:30 pm and 1:30–5 pm Closing Ceremony and Reception: Wednesday, March 6 at 3 pm All are welcome.Sponsored by: The The Warren Mills Hutcheson Endowed Fund in Religion and the Interdisciplinary Study of Religions Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
Weis Cinema This award-winning documentary delves into the violent campaign to build a Ram temple by the right-wing Hindu nationalist organization Vishva Hindu Parishad at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India. An incisive examination of religious fervor, politics, and communal tension, this film is particularly relevant today as the temple was consecrated amidst widespread communal violence in January this year.
This screening will be preceded by a discussion on religious nationalism—from India to Turkey—led by Professors Nabanjan Maitra and Karen Barkey.Sponsored by: Anthropology Program; Asian Studies Program.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].
Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion; Director, Institute of Advanced Theology
Monday, March 11, 2024 12–1:30 pm
Bard Hall During the past two millennia, systemic ruptures in the understanding of religion and society have shaped the cultural contours of all the lands that once comprised the Roman Empire. These schisms have of course featured in the histories of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, but they also have exerted a profound influence on the ways that people in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and later the Americas conceive of themselves of their relations with one another. Our series will deal in order with: (1) the emergence of Christianity from Judaism and the resulting contention, (2) the breach between the Latin West and the Greek East after the conversion of Constantine, (3) the rise of Islam and the proclamation of the Crusades, (4) the Reformation and its consequences, and (5) the opposition between religion and science in the modern period.
This series will be on the following Mondays at noon: March 11, March 25, April 8, and April 22.Sponsored by: The Institute for Advanced Theology.
For more information, call 845-758-7667, or e-mail [email protected].
Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion; Director, Institute of Advanced Theology
Monday, March 25, 2024 12–1:30 pm
Bard Hall During the past two millennia, systemic ruptures in the understanding of religion and society have shaped the cultural contours of all the lands that once comprised the Roman Empire. These schisms have of course featured in the histories of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, but they also have exerted a profound influence on the ways that people in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and later the Americas conceive of themselves of their relations with one another. Our series will deal in order with: (1) the emergence of Christianity from Judaism and the resulting contention, (2) the breach between the Latin West and the Greek East after the conversion of Constantine, (3) the rise of Islam and the proclamation of the Crusades, (4) the Reformation and its consequences, and (5) the opposition between religion and science in the modern period.
This series will be on the following Mondays at noon: March 25, April 8, and April 22.Sponsored by: The Institute for Advanced Theology.
For more information, call 845-758-7667, or e-mail [email protected].