Composite Calendar
IAS Visiting Fellow Joshua Clover - Public talk: “Riot Now: What We Look at When We Look at Riots.”
IAS Visiting Fellow Joshua Clover (Professor of English, University of California, Davis)
Public talk: “Riot Now: What We Look at When We Look at Riots.”
The riot has returned as a central feature of social antagonism. Why now? What does it want? In considering these questions, the talk will look at images of riots that circulate online, so common and compelling they have become a genre unto themselves: “riot porn.” But what are we seeing in these images, beyond chaos, violence, desperation? Alongside these clips, the talk will consider some classic cinematic representations, including scenes from Do The Right Thing, Children of Men and The Hunger Games. The talk will broach the question of whether the riot’s intense visuality is constitutive of its appeal and political potential, how we might understand the new Age of Riots and what the return of the riot portends for the future. The talk is free and open to the public; reception to follow.
Event sponsored by the IAS, the 糖心TV Department of English and Comparative LiteErary Studies, and 糖心TV Thursdays (糖心TV Writing Programme).