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social theory

Geography Colloquium Series

"Necropolitics, Border Walls, and a Murder of Jim/Juan Crow in the Mexico-US Frontera"

Across the Mexico-US borderlands, overlapping white supremacist and Anglo-nationalist movements are building private walls as monuments to Donald Trump. Many social justice activists and ecological stewards have warned that these Trumpist border walls present specific and new threats to social and ecological landscapes, particularly along the riparian sections of the borderlands. To slow their building and, even, topple these walls, many activists and ecological caretakers are working to fortify networks with similar efforts elsewhere. In an effort to provide analyses useful to such justice endeavors, I employ Achille Mbembe’s concept of necropolitics to situate the borderland activist struggles against the Trumpist walls within a broader context of struggle against the commemoration of racist terror in the US South. Specifically, I use Mbembe’s theorization of necropolitical deathworlds to illustrate some potential common cause linking protests against Trumpist walls in the Paso del Norte region of the Mexico-US border with a Black Lives Matter/Say Her Name coalition that is bringing down Confederate monuments in central Texas. In placing these movements in connection with each other, I highlight a synergy of the white supremacy of Jim Crow with the Anglo nationalism behind a Juan Crow variant of racist terror and anti-immigrant hatred driving the Trumpist wall constructions. Recognition of this convergence is one way, I maintain, for identifying opportunities for making common cause across Americas’ myriad struggles to destroy the racist monuments that glorify the necropolitical legacy of racist colonialism and its ongoing social and ecological devastation.

Dr. Melissa Wright, Penn State University

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UK Athletics Association Auditorium, William T. Library
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ST600 Speaker Series

A native of Puerto Rico, Yomaira was born and raised in Hoboken, NJ and is a first-generation high school and college graduate. She is Associate Professor of Global Afro-Diaspora Studies in the department of English at Michigan State University. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and her B.A. in English, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caribbean Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick (Douglass College).

Zoom Link: TBDDr, Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, Michigan State University

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Virtual - Zoom Link Forthcoming
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Fall 2023 Courses

ST 500: Introduction to Social Theory

Tad Mutersbaugh

Thursday 4:30 - 7 pm; Location TBD

Prerequisite: Either a prior theory course in any social discipline or a prior course in such a discipline that discussed theoretical issues. Exceptions will be permitted only after consultation with the instructor.

Credit from this course applies to the following programs: Undergraduate, Graduate

Dimensions of Political Ecology Conference

The Dimensions of Political Ecology Conference (DOPE) is organized and hosted entirely by an interdisciplinary group of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky. Since its inception in 2010, this student-organized conference has become one of the largest, most highly regarded international forums for critical discussions at the intersection of ecology, political economy, and science studies. DOPE 2020 welcomes Dr. Alaka Wali, Dr. Diana Ojeda, Dr. Justin Dunnavant, Dr. Macarena Gómez-Barris, and Dr. Rebecca Elmhirst as our speakers, along with many professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The DOPE Conference offers a platform for both established and emerging scholars to present research and engage in political ecology scholarship. Registration is free for UK graduate and undergraduate students! Register here!

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University of Kentucky

Welcome Back & Faculty Fall Meeting

The Committee on Social Theory wants to invite everyone back for the 2016-2017 academic school year!

The fall meeting will feature introductions and information about this years upcoming events, including the Fall Distinguished Speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Shove. There will also be plenty of time for conversation and Q&A over a provided lunch. 

Please RSVP by September 16th to Eva Hicks at eva.hicks@uky.edu

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Niles Gallery
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The Committee on Social Theory Presents: Richard Wolff

March 25th, Richard Wolff, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Visiting Professor, Graduate Program in International Affairs, The New School. Lecture will be held in the Young Library Auditorium, William T. Young Library. Reception to follow at 5:30 p.m. in the Gaines Center Commonwealth House.

"Capitalism vs Democracy: Facing/Solving the Contradiction."

 

 

The Committee on Social Theory Presents: Dr. Lori Watson

 

 

02/05/2016 Lori Watson

The Committee on Social Theory is excited to announce the first lecturer of the Spring Lecture Series, Lori Watson. Lori Watson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and director of the Gender Studies Program, University of San Diego. Dr. Watson's lecture will address "Sex Equality and Public Reason." Reception to follow at 5:30 p.m. in the Gaines Center Commonwealth House.

 

 

Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/18/2016 - 12:48 pm

The Committee on Social Theory Presents: Dr. Mahmood Mamdani

 

 

The Committee on Social Theory at The University of Kentucky is hosting Professor Mahmood Mamdani as its Fall Distinguished Speaker. On October 2, Dr. Mamdani will give a talk entitled “Political Violence and Political Justice: A Critique of Criminal Justice as Accountability.” The talk will take place at 3:30 pm in the W.T. Young Library Auditorium.

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