This talk explores the story of the official American expedition to Japan in 1852-54 to “open” the far-flung country to trade and a western-based diplomatic order. In examining the role that civilians played on the mission, Constantine Vaporis considers their work not only during the trip but also afterwards, as they disseminated information about the mission to a broader American and international audience.
The Annual Daphne Harrison Lecture, part of the Spring 2024 Humanities Forum, features Naomi André, who will speak on Opera’s New Realism: Expanding Narratives and Representation. As opera begins to cater to more diverse audiences, performances today frequently embrace a broader mission that engages social justice in the movements around #MeToo, Queer and Trans spectrums, and Black Lives Matter. The event will also feature the UMBC Jubilee Singers under the direction of Janice Jackson.
In conversation with UMBC’s Jason Loviglio, writer and artist Jenny Odell will discuss her recent book, Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond Productivity Culture, which shows us how our painful relationship to time is inextricably connected not only to persisting social inequities but to the climate crisis, existential dread, and a lethal fatalism. This lecture is part of the Spring 2024 Humanities Forum.
In this talk, Emek Ergun will explore the political role of translation in facilitating transnational feminist transformations and connectivities. She will discuss the transatlantic journey of Hanne Blank’s Virgin: The Untouched History — a popular feminist book demystifying the man-made histories of virginity in western geographies — via her Turkish translation and its reception. This lecture is part of the Spring 2024 Humanities Forum.
