We will talk about whether identity categories provide strength and solidarity, or do they limit the radical and creative possibilities just beneath the surface of political life?
We'll look into the complicated philosophical questions about why we give the dead so much power over our lives, and what this says about how we find meaning in our own lives given foreknowledge of our mortality.
In this Olio, we will examine how the experience of being other shapes women’s relationship to the world around them, and perhaps more importantly, to themselves.
Aristotle first recognized the paradox of tragic art. Why do we enjoy watching fictional characters suffer when we would be horrified by the same thing in real life?
What is ego? We say, “I have an ego,” which implies there is an “I” separate from the egoic self. We say, “that is just her ego talking,” which implies another her, larger than the ego.
A central feature of gaining “whiteness” is silence and erasure. This Olio will examine how these themes are reproduced in dominant narratives within institutions.
The Olio will be led by two teachers / dancers from the New School and the night will be made up of multiple exercises paired with conversations around theories of movement and the body.
US founding fathers have always intended for many people to be left out of the social contract. Enter Eric (Killmonger) Stevens, dual citizen of the U.S. and Wakanda and the antagonist of Marvel’s Black Panther.
This talk will explore how far (or not) we’ve come and where we must go to ultimately adopt policies that support, rather than punish and stigmatize marijuana users.
In this Olio, we will explore the history of sexual perversions, examining how and why particular sexual desires and behaviors were labeled as bad, abnormal, and unnatural at certain periods in Western thought.
We'll look at a few scenes in Shakespeare where characters seem to know that they are in a play — and what that can tell us about mindfulness, our own relationship to art and to our lives.
This Olio takes a peek at how the surrounding environment of man-made sounds of the 20th century have forever changed the way we approach composing for percussion.
We will examine the social and political forces that have historically produced such apocalyptic fantasies and the radical prescriptions for building a perfect society.
This Olio will highlight and celebrate the impact of the African Diaspora on New York City by starting with the question: "Where are the black people in the story of NYC?"
1) The personal stories of four artists remind us that the issues of "work/life balance" and women's shifting roles in male-dominated fields are nothing new. 2) The last 40 years of American economic “progress” has expanded the wealth gap to its largest in a century and put a stake in the heart of the “American Dream.”
This seminar will go deep, straight to the intellectual bone, as we wrestle with our own demons of self, sex, love, and our longing for authentic freedom.
Our unsustainable relationship with Nature is fueled by a long held view in Western thought that Man is separate from Nature. This discussion will explain the origins of this separation and attempt to provide an idea of how we can actually go about discharging our responsibility for environmental harms.
Join us for a special Olio where we look closely at the supreme poetry of the printed out lyrics for 60 minutes, and then listen to the whole album, and remember for a second what it is to be whole.
Join us as we unpack the evolution of the modern international human rights movement, dissect its challenges and make the case that a robust defense of universal human rights is essential against the darkness of autocracy and intolerance. **This talk is accompanied by a performance from the cellist Dara Hankins**