June 2016
How Does Democracy Survive Demagoguery?
Moderated by Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times Demagogues have been a problem for democracy since at least the 5th century B.C.—when the populist tanner Cleon persuaded his fellow Athenians to slaughter every man in the city of Mytilene as punishment for a failed revolt. Of Cleon, Aristotle wrote: “He was the first who shouted on the public platform, who used abusive language and who spoke with his cloak girt around him, while all the others used to speak in proper…
Find out more »June 2017
What Can the Ancient World Teach Us About Globalization?
A Zócalo/Getty Villa "Open Art" Event Moderated by Laura Trevelyan, Anchor, BBC World News America Today’s fierce backlash against globalization raises hard questions. What does greater connectedness across borders mean for our jobs, our national identities, our culture, and our governments? These are profound concerns—but they are not new ones. The ancient Greek and Roman worlds saw increasing flows of objects, people, and ideas that created a broader international consciousness—and no small amount of dislocation and turmoil. How did the ancients respond to these phenomena? Can the ancients offer…
Find out more »June 2019
What Can the Ancient World Teach Us About Feminism?
Moderated by Madeleine Brand, Host, KCRW’s “Press Play” Women’s liberation is often considered to have started in the 19th century and feminism to have originated in the 20th century. But women throughout the ages have found ways to advance themselves and protect their rights even under the most oppressive circumstances. How did women in ancient societies, from Greece to China to the Yucatán Peninsula, carve out roles for themselves, resist misogyny, and defend themselves against discrimination? Which societies, if any,…
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