Post45 Graduate Symposium Public Events

Hello! We the symposium host committee members Martha Henzy, Kyle Lindsey, and Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen, and Olivia Stowell, as well as fellow symposium steering committee members Lauryn Anderson, Alya Ansari, and Andy Perluzzo, are thrilled to invite you all to three events associated with the Post45 Graduate Symposium on March 14-15. 

The Post45 Graduate Symposium is a workshop that brings together graduate students from various institutions to circulate works-in-progress. Held since 2015, the symposium is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and we are very excited to emphasize the conference’s potential to platform global, interdisciplinary, and cross-disciplinary work from emerging scholars. This year, the symposium is co-sponsored by the Rackham Dean’s Strategic Initiative, the Institute for the Humanities, and the departments of Communication & Media, American Culture, English, and Digital Studies. We are deeply grateful to all of our sponsors for making this conference possible!

These three public events are designed to facilitate interdisciplinary networking and intellectual community here on campus, so please send this invite along to other folks you believe would be interested.

Friday, March 14, 2-3:30pm. North Quad Space 2435: Social Hour

This event is a cross-department, cross-disciplinary faculty/staff/student networking hour. Snacks and coffee will be provided. Please feel free to drop by any time within this window and meet someone new or catch up with someone you know!

Friday, March 14, 5:30-7pm, North Quad Space 2435: Symposium Keynote Address

Public Good(s): Fascism, Public Discourse and (Dis)Connection

Dr. Lydia Kelow-Bennett (Department of Afroamerican and African Studies).

What is the relationship between public discourses, fascist rhetoric and actions, and the sense of (dis)connection that many U.S. citizens feel after the 2024 election cycle? This talk will examine how public space, public good(s), and public action are utilized in service of and in resistance to fascist politics, and offer a meditation on what connectedness and connection can offer to strengthen public well-being in a time of overreaching privatization. What are the stakes of ideas such as "the common good," "public services," and even "public radio/news" when faced with political violence and governmental overreach, and how can we, in our everyday lives, utilize our public spaces in defense of vibrant, healthy and diverse forms of democracy? There will be ample time for Q&A after the talk so we can think together about the resources, histories, and stakes of the "public good" in our current context. 

Dr. Lydia Kelow-Bennett is an Assistant Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan. Her teaching and research interests lie primarily in Black women and Black popular culture, Black geographies, and reinvigorating radical Black feminist praxis for the present day. Outside of her academic life, Dr. KB is a doula, an eager beginning gardener, and a boy mom. 

Saturday, March 15, 4:30-5:30pm, North Quad Space 2435: Faculty Roundtable

We will be hosting a faculty roundtable the topic of “Public(s)” in NQ Space 2435 featuring Dr. Frieda Ekotto (Afroamerican and African Studies), Dr. Hollis Griffin (Communication and Media), Dr. Tung-Hui Hu (English), Dr. Justin Mitchell (Comparative Literature), and Dr. Lisa Nakamura (American Culture). This faculty roundtable will take a multi- and cross-disciplinary approach to considering the meaning of public(s) in the age of austerity and platformization, the question of public scholarship, public humanities, and public intellectualism, and other topics. 

If you would like a calendar invite to or any other information about any of these events, please do reach out and let me know. The hosting and steering committees look forward to seeing you there and building new connections within the vibrant intellectual community here at Michigan.

Warmly, 

The Post45 Graduate Steering & Hosting Committees

Lauryn Anderson (Princeton University / University of Cambridge; English)

Alya Ansari (University of Minnesota; Comparative Literature)

Martha Henzy (University of Michigan; English Language and Literature)

Kyle Lindsey (University of Michigan; American Culture, Digital Studies)

Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen (University of Michigan; Communication & Media, Digital Studies)

Andy Perluzzo (Carleton University; English Language and Literature)

Olivia Stowell (University of Michigan; Communication & Media, Digital Studies)