On one takeaway each from three opportunities to share my work and ideas.
1)
VA Festival of the Book: I
followed up on my amazing experience back in Charlottesville in this
post. So here I’ll add one more thought: that presenting on a panel on “hot-button
issues” (my co-presenters’ books focus on abortion and health care) helped me
continue to think not only about how my public scholarly work can engage with
such contemporary debates, but also and just as importantly how I can do so
without (I hope) being antagonistic to
any audiences or perspectives. That doesn’t mean that everyone will agree with my
ideas and arguments, of course—but that I can, and have to, find ways to
present them in a voice and tone that everyone can engage with, that feel in
conversation with every reasonable perspective.
2)
Leominster
Public Library: As part of a series
on race and Civil Rights, the Leominster (MA) Public Library screened part
of the amazing documentary The Loving Story
(2011), and I had the chance to follow up the screening with both some thoughts
of mine and participation in a communal conversation. It was an inspiring experience
for lots of reasons, but one definite takeaway for me was a renewed sense of
how important stories are to our understandings of the past, of complex social
and cultural issues, of America. The Lovings were no more representative of all
(or any) American communities than Yung
Wing and his students were—but both impressive stories can nevertheless
help open up those communal histories and issues in provocative and productive
ways.
3)
FSU
Center for Conflict Studies: As part of a year-long series of events
sponsored by Fitchburg State’s Center for Conflict Studies, I took part in a
panel discussion of the complex question: “Genocide and Mass Killings: Is the
U.S. Different?” I learned a lot from my colleagues and co-presenters: Ben
Lieberman on Native American genocides; and René
Reeves on U.S. involvement in Latin America. And the panel overall, as well
as the subsequent Q&A, reminded me that I need to continue working to put
my ideas about America in trans- and international contexts, both because of
how inseparable the U.S. and the rest of the world have always been and because
such comparative analyses can open up perspectives on American history,
culture, and identity that are not possible otherwise. I’ll keep trying to add
that lens to my work!
Summer preview tomorrow,
Ben
PS. How was your spring semester?
No comments:
Post a Comment