Podcasts Archives | Page 12 of 13 | National Humanities Center

Podcasts

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Jakobi Williams, “​The Black Panthers, Here and Abroad”

​Since its founding over 50 years ago, perceptions of the Black Panther Party have varied widely, often shaped by misinformation—about the Party's motivations, its relations with other organizations, its influence in the U.S. and around the world. In this conversation, ​historian Jakobi Williams discusses ​the challenges facing scholars in reconstructing the history of the Black Panther Party, the common misconceptions that continue to shape views of the movement and its leaders, and the ways that the organization helped inspire resistance groups in other countries.

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Mary Floyd-Wilson, “Demonic Representation on the Shakespearean Stage”

Shakespeare's plays are full of the influences of the supernatural—spirits, magic, temptation—haunting the lives of characters and shaping their actions. In this conversation, literary scholar Mary Floyd-Wilson discusses how these demonic representations reflect questions that were very much on the minds of Elizabethan-era theater-goers and offer a valuable perspective on contemporary debates of the period and shifts in thinking about questions of religion, of autonomy, personality, and the mind.

GIS

Chris Bunin, "Mapping the American Experience"

The use of geospatial technologies allows the interactions of place, space, time, and scale to be more obvious to teachers and students. Often there is an over-emphasis on the chronology of historical events without a strong consideration for their connections to geography. Geospatial technologies allow students to raise the critical ability to answer not only the important question of “where?” but also “why there?” With an emphasis on inquiry-based teaching and learning, Chris Bunin provides insights on the ways that GIS tools contribute to a deeper understanding of the humanities.

David Price

David Price, "The Humanities in a Democratic Society"

For most of the last 30 years, Congressman David Price has represented NC's Fourth District which covers much of the greater Research Triangle region including the National Humanities Center. As co-chair of the Congressional Humanities Caucus and a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Congressman Price has been a fierce advocate for federal investments in the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, championing their work and the work of all of those engaged in promoting the arts and preserving the cultural and historical legacy of the United States. During his most recent visit to the Center, he sat down with NHC Director Robert D. Newman to discuss the importance of the humanities in a democratic society and why they remain a relevant and vital part of American education and civic life.

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Marlene Daut, “The Haitian Revolution in Literature”

While historians have increasingly marked the Haitian Revolution as a key moment in the history of the Atlantic world, literary depictions of the revolution and events surrounding it have remained little known among contemporary readers. By exploring a broad range of works from writers living in the Atlantic World, Marlene Daut has uncovered a transatlantic abolitionist literary culture that was shaped in many ways by imagining Haiti.

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Laurent Dubois, “The Banjo: America’s African Instrument”

The banjo links disparate musical and cultural traditions — from Africa to the Caribbean to the United States — and its history is deeply interwoven with the history of those places. In this podcast, host Robert D. Newman talks with Fellow Laurent Dubois about this history and his book, The Banjo: America's African Instrument, published earlier this year by Harvard University Press.

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“Rage and Beauty: Celebrating Complexity, Democracy and the Humanities”: A Keynote Address by Robert D. Newman

On October 5, 2016, NHC director Robert D. Newman delivered a keynote address as a part of the ongoing Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Speaker Series at North Carolina Central University. ​In his remarks Newman touched on events as seemingly disparate as the workings of the Continental Congress and the social media origins of the Black Lives Matter movement and discussed the ways that the humanities help us understand the world, relate to one another, and come to terms with the most profound experiences and questions — on the nature of beauty, the search for justice, and the meaning of life in the face of horrific violence and our own mortality.

Novel Sounds

Florence Dore, “Novel Sounds: American Fiction in the Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Part 2)

​In part 2 of this interview, Florence Dore and host Robert Newman ​continue to explore ​the surprising reciprocity between rock and literature​​. They also discuss the conference Novel Sounds—upcoming October 14-15 at the National Humanities Center—which will bring together scholars, critics, and performers to examine rock’s broader connections to a wide array of social, historical, and cultural concerns.

Novel Sounds

Florence Dore, “Novel Sounds: American Fiction in the Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Part 1)

While it is not difficult to perceive rock ‘n‘ roll’s profound influence on American culture since the mid-1950s, we seldom consider the surprising reciprocity between rock and serious literature. In this podcast, host Robert Newman talks with Florence Dore about the rock-literature nexus and on the ways that rock has both reflected and helped shape our national heritage.