B. Ricardo Brown. Monsters and Human Variety from Pliny the Elder to Linnaeus' "Systema natura" Critical and Visual Studies Symposium

Monsters and Human Variety from Pliny the Elder to Linnaeus' "Systema natura" with B. Ricardo Brown, PhD.

The theme of this iteration of the Symposium is “Now Is the Time of Monsters.”
Observing the rise of 20th-century fascism, Italian philosopher and social theorist Antonio Gramsci wrote that “the old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters.” Some contemporary critical theorists argue that we face a similar situation today; the exigencies of environmental crisis, rapid technological change, and evolving socio-historical dynamics run up against the inertia of existing institutions, producing a volatile situation full of danger as well as emancipatory potential.

This semester we are exploring both the peril and the promise of living in a "time of monsters"

    November 2 (5:00-6:30 PM): TERFism and Feminism Against Cisness with Sophie Lewis
    November 9 (6:20-7:50 PM): Imagining a World Without Police with Geo Ciccariello-Maher
    November 30 (5:00-6:30 PM) New York Liberation School with Conor Tomás Reed

All talks will be held in North Hall 110 on Thursday evenings and will consist of a ~1 hour presentation from our speaker followed by ~30 minutes of Q&A.
Everyone is welcome.  It will be recorded and posted if you are interested but unable to attend.


Fall 2023 Symposium Talks:
September 21: Factory Farming and Agricultural Exceptionalism with Jan Dutkiewicz
October 5: Archipelagoes of the Unseen with May Joseph
October 26: Monsters and Human Variety from Pliny the Elder to Linnaeus' "Systema natura" with B. Ricardo Brown
November 2: TERFism and Feminism Against Cisness with Sophie Lewis
November 9: Imagining a World Without Police with Geo Ciccariello-Maher
November 30:  New York Liberation School with Conor Tomás Reed