WHAT: “A ‘Mestizo threat’ in the colonial Andes? Elite anxieties and realities during the 16th and 17th centuries,” Nicanor Dominguez, Assistant Professor History, Boise State University
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 2 @ 12 noon
WHERE: Room 200 International Studies Building (CLACS Conference Room)
From the event announcement:
The stereotypical colonial image of the “mestizo” (a mix-blood person of Spanish-Indian parentage) was that of a “natural-born troublemaker,” conforming since the mid-sixteenth century an undesirable segment of society. The Spanish authorities feared that a mestizo-led uprising would be able to rally Indian support and to expel the Spaniards from the Andes. The lecture will contextualize such anxieties and stereotypes, and contrast them with other testimonies pointing at a more fluid colonial society, especially in the seventeenth century.
WHAT: “Manhattan’s Depression-Era ‘Book Row’ and the Worst Theft Ring in American History,” Prof. Travis McDade, College of Law, UIUC
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 3 @ 5 p.m.
WHERE: 109A Davenport Hall
According to New York Voices from New York Public Media, “The center of book buying in New York was once a strip of used shops along Fourth Avenue below Union Square know as Book Row, which started disappearing gradually as early as the 1960s.” Sorry for the short notice, but if you have some time after work today, stop in for an interesting historical tale from Prof. McDade.
WHAT: “Marketing Scandinavia and Europe to a Global Consumer: Product Packaging, Movies, and a little bit about IKEA,” Louise Nilsson, Uppsala University
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 3 @ 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: 100 Gregory Hall
Don’t pretend like you’re too cool for this.
WHAT: “Water law in the U.S. and Brazil: Climate change and two approaches to emerging water poverty,” David Cassuto, Professor of Law and Director of Brazil-American Institute for Law and Environment (BAILE), Pace University
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 4 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: 219 Davenport Hall — Geography Conference Room
From the event announcement:
Both countries have extensive territories with wet and dry regions and both hydro-regimes face significant peril from global warming. Brazil, for instance, is home to between eight and fifteen percent of the worlds fresh water and its fast-growing economy, and population present major challenges in management and allocation. In addition, nearly fifteen percent of its energy derives from water resources. On the other hand, the U.S. faces major water allocation problems due in part, to past settlement policies and unsustainable reclamation projects, but also from fast-growing domestic, industrial and agricultural demand.
WHAT: “Exodus and the Americanization of Zionism,” Amy Kaplan, Department of English, University of Pennsylvania
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 5 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: Knight Auditorium at Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana
From the event announcement:
Exodus, the best-selling 1958 novel and 1960 film, marketed the new state of Israel to Americans. Exodus crated an Israeli myth of origins that appealed to American conceptions of its own revolution. This myth of Israel’s “specialness” mirrored American exceptionalism in the Cold War. Created in the aftermath of the 1956 Suez Crisis, Exodus became the dominant narrative of Israel’s birth but is haunted by the Palestinian narrative of the Nakba.
You live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time. Get your learn on, as they say, and join the cognoscenti. It’s free, you know. Plus, sometimes there’s free food, too!
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Tuesdays.