A Tale of Two Letters: Scholarship and Responsibility in Times of Retrenchment

Description

Nathan Connolly, a professor of history, received two letters last semester. One was threatening, the other beseeching. They had in common an expectation about the civic responsibility of scholars. They defied, too, any notion that digital analytics or social media can capture the fullness of academics' social impact in our current day and age.

Informed by the civic and scholarly mission of Johns Hopkins' Program in Racism, Immigration, and Citizenship, Connolly will discuss the expectations and responsibilities taken up by and placed upon scholars, both historically and in contemporary times. What utility does and has critical race studies served in debates over so-called "common sense" solutions and "real world" problems? Where do concerns over political polarization preempt fights against white supremacy and inequality? What is institutional anti-racism, and is such a thing even possible in American universities?

After Connolly's remarks on these and related questions, there will be a town-hall-style public discussion on the role universities and their researchers play in the furtherance of ethical policy and informed public debate.

Reception to follow.