The Leading Edge

Events

Wednesday, April 4

The Origins of Today’s Billionaire-Funded Radical Right and the Crisis of American Democracy — A talk by Dr. Nancy MacLean, author of the National Book Award Non-Fiction Finalist, “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America” and the William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University. Her talk will focus on the unknown history of the relentless campaign by the radical right to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize everything from schools to Medicare and Social Security, stop action on climate change, and alter the U.S. Constitution. The LaSells Stewart Center, C&E Hall at 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 5

The Religious Impossibility of Queer Freedom: Thinking about Trans Life in the Age of Transparent — A lecture by Dr. Kathryn Lofton. This talk uses the television series “Transparent” as a laboratory for the reconciliation of two trajectories of symbol and law, for the figuring out of trans bodies as religiously potent and the role of religions in the assignment of gender norms. Dr. Lofton is a Professor of Religious Studies, American Studies, and History; Chair, Religious Studies; Deputy Dean for Diversity of Faculty Development at Yale University. MU 206, Asian/Pacific American Room at 4 p.m.

Friday, April 6

Opening Space for the Radical Imagination Conference, April 6-8, 2018 — This conference invites us to engage in a profound critique of what seems obvious and to explore alternative ways of living together — producing, loving, shaping spaces and time, inhabiting the land, working, using, struggling. Keynote speaker Walidah Imarisha, April 6, 7 p.m. Milam Auditorium, 026. Other presenters include: Raj Patel, Zoé Samudzi, Hillary Lazar, Arun Gupta, Kristian Williams, Kevin Van Meter, and Katherine Power. For more information: www.oregonimagines.com

Poetry Performance — Two-time National Poetry Slam Champion Anis Mojgani will give a performance of his work. Mojgani is the author of five collections of poetry and has performed for audiences ranging from the House of Blues to the United Nations. The performance will be followed by a Q&A and book signing, and is part of the School of Writing, Literature, and Film’s 2017-2018 Visiting Writers Series. 7:30 p.m., Black Box Lab Theater, Withycombe Hall.

Saturday, April 7

Fourth Annual Pacific Northwest Undergraduate Religious Studies Conference — Keynote talk by Dr. Kathryn Lofton, Yale University, author of “Consuming Religion” in Memorial Union Journey Room: 104, 8:30 a.m. Conference 8-5 p.m.

Upcoming Events

Fragments of the Uni-versatile Subject — H. Rakes, Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Queer Studies at OSU, will discuss the development and implications of contemporary flexible identities and roles. Monday, April 9, 4 p.m., OSU Center for the Humanities, Autzen House, 811 Jefferson Ave.

A Survivor’s Story — Public talk by Henry Friedman. Friedman will speak of his experiences during World War II. Almost the entire Jewish population of the city where Friedman was born perished in the Holocaust. He and his family survived only because a young Ukrainian woman warned them that the ghetto where they lived would soon be liquidated. *The event is free but tickets are required. Tickets are available online. Wednesday, April 11, 7:30 p.m., Austin Auditorium, LaSells Stewart Center.

Instructor of guitar Cameron O’Connor performed a concert and gave a masterclass at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, along with saxophonist Erik Steighner. The duo were also the featured guest performers for the Ladies’ Musical Club, Seattle’s oldest musical organization, at the group’s annual luncheon.

Shiao-ling Yu, Associate Professor of Chinese, School of Language, Culture and Society, published the following article: “The Orphan of Zhao: Chinese Revenge Drama and European Adaptations,” Comparative Literature Studies, vol. 55, no. 1, 2018, pp. 144-171. She also presented a paper entitled “Performing the Nation: Lai Shengchuan’s play “A Village in Taiwan,” at the Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature held in conjunction with the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference
in Washington, D. C. March 22-25, 2018.

Nana Osei-Kofi, Associate Professor of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, recently published an article titled, “From Afro-Sweden with Defiance: The Clenched Fist as Coalitional Gesture?” in New Political Science, 40(1), 137-150, with co-authors, Adela C. Licona, University of Arizona, and Karma R. Chávez, University of Texas at Austin.

Recurring Events