The United States is a model for democratic governance, civil liberties and social justice. The 1964 Civil Rights Act exemplifies social progress. The election by popular vote of an African American president is an affirmation that we have, in fact, progressed. And yet, racial practices still persist in the United States. Why? Do we create race or do we discover it? Do racially charged and racially rooted language-trends affect our perception of “racialized relations”? Do representations of racial progress propel social justice, or do they disguise persistent prejudice? Is a non-racist community even possible? These are some of the questions we’ll explore on November 9.
Dr. Carlos Gallego, UA Assistant Professor of English, has invited a group of College of Humanities scholars from various departments to discuss the issue of racism in today’s USA and to engage the community in an open dialogue. The panelists will include Abraham Acosta from Spanish and Portuguese, Franci Washburn from American Indian Studies, Wendy Theodore from Africana Studies, and Hai Ren from East Asian Studies.
About Carlos Gallego:
Carlos Gallego's interests include 20th century American literature, Chicano/a studies, philosophy and critical theory. He is currently working on a book manuscript examining the transcendence of identity thinking in Chicano/a literature.
COH Dean Mary Wildner-Bassett on New Community Series:
College of Humanities Dean, Mary Wildner-Bassett, says the inaugural event of Unsettling Certainties series “is exciting and emblematic as it expresses all that Humanities has to offer our communities – our sense of place and purpose here in Tucson and beyond.
“We use ‘unsettling’ as both verb and adjective. We want to ‘unsettle’ what can, could or should be reconsidered as a certainty. We also want to explore, together, in community, why once held assumptions about our ties as humans that have become more ‘unsettling’ than certain, including our ideas about race, language, and art. What ties us together, what unsettles us, what is certain? Through this program, teachers, students, and lifelong learners in the Humanities share their knowledge and skills, ready to engage in conversation about real-world issues that face us daily. It is with certain pleasure and enthusiasm that I invite the Tucson community to participate in this inaugural event of Unsettling Certainties.”
Unsettling Certainties: Conversations in the Humanities is an open forum, community-wide event. All Unsettling Certainties events take place in the Dorothy Rubel Room of the Poetry Center’s Helen S. Schaefer Building, 1508 E. Helen Street. Parking is available in all Zone 1 lots surrounding the building and in the Highland Avenue Garage. For more information please go to the College of Humanities website – www.coh.arizona.edu or call Debra Olson at (520) 621-9294 or dasolson@email.arizona.edu.
