This roundtable sets out to ask a provocative, if not a paradoxical question: how did 18th-century writers think of inclusion, equity and diversity, and how can their work help us to reflect on these topics today? For decades, scholars have continued to think about the predominance of a taxonomic approach within Enlightenment. On the other hand, scholars have also tried to highlight the radical and minor impulses within Enlightenment thought to rethink difference, diversity, and community. With this history of thought in mind, the roundtable sets out to ask how do we do EDI work in the afterlife of Enlightenment and within Enlightenment studies. What are some successful initiatives that scholarly societies since the eighteenth century have taken to honor diversity and inclusion? What do the failures of some other initiatives teach us today as we deliberate on our society's way forward?
Panelists:
Katherine Binhammer (University of Alberta), Emily C. Friedman (Auburn University), Sal Nicolazzo (University of California, Davis), Surya Parekh (Binghamton University)
Date: Friday, November 29, 2024
Time: 12h00 – 13h30 (eastern standard time)
RSVP (by November 28): https://forms.gle/iTUGuVp4BT3aNh8j7
(You will receive a link by email one day before the event.)
