Michael Kenned, Martha Tedeschi, Fred Wherry: The Politics of Culture and the Political Role of Cultural Institutions

Date: 

Monday, October 31, 2016, 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Location: 

William James Hall 1550

Culture and Social Analysis Workshop (Co-sponsored with the Transnational Studies Initiative and Politics & Social Change Workshop) presentation by 

Speakers:

Fred Wherry, Department of Sociology, Yale University

Michael Kennedy, Department of Sociology, Brown University

Martha Tedeschi, Director of Harvard Art Museums

Chairs:

Peggy Levitt, Associate. Chair; Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Wellesley College.

Jocelyn Viterna, Faculty Associate. Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Harvard University.

Abstract:

The nexus between politics and culture is fertile ground. Cultural institutions profoundly shape how we imagine the world; the structures, institutions, and inequalities that organize it; and the ways in which we mobilize for social change. At the same time, cultural institutions are shaped by politics—countries occupy different positions in a cultural hierarchy of value, political factors shape cultural diffusion, and culture is used as a diplomatic tool. Our panelists will engage broadly with these questions, exploring the ways in which the encounter between culture and politics influences theory and practice.