UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere announces “Rethinking the Public Sphere” speaker series

The UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere’s multi-year series, “Rethinking the Public Sphere,” responds to current challenges to rational public debate. Speakers from various humanities disciplines shed light on institutions that define public life.

Part I of the series, “Race and the Promise of Participation,” highlights the demand for racial equality in the international and historical contexts of the public sphere. This year’s talks focus on case studies including how museums deal with collective memories of past atrocities. They demonstrate how philosophy and poetry contribute to our moral imagination of racial equality and analyze personal memoirs of past struggles for the right to vote. Over the course of two semesters, speakers will deepen participants’ understanding of public discussion and move beyond current impasses.

On Nov. 14, Chris Lebron, associate professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, will present “’A Coming Out Of Ourselves’: Knowing Our Place In Racial Injustice” at 5:30 p.m. in Smathers Library, Room 100.  This lecture explores the uses of moral imagination to expand white Americans’ awareness of racial inequality through an eclectic gathering of resources ranging from philosophy to black poetry.

For more information, visit the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere website.