2025
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Friday, April 25, 2025 Sidelines Redrawn: Re-examining the Role of Marginality in Ancient Greek Literature
*Note location changeOlin Humanities, Room 102 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 In our contemporary era, marginality typically refers to people that lie on the fringes or margins of society with regard to some socio-economic or socio-political characteristic. In the context of the ancient Greek world, it is fairly easy to assign groups to this marginal category. However, ancient literature tends to complicate this modern notion of marginality, and characters that would normally be considered marginal from a historical standpoint are often put in positions that allow them to influence others and act beyond the limitations of their societal station. This talk will discuss the disconnect between literature and historical reality when it comes to marginal characters and their potential for agency and efficacy. Reexamining ancient Greek literature with this in mind will provide another avenue of interpretation that will contribute to our understanding of these works. |
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Tuesday, April 15, 2025 The Odyssey: A Reading and Discussion
With Daniel Mendelsohn and Robert CioffiCampus Center, Weis Cinema 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Daniel Mendelsohn and Robert Cioffi will read from Mendelsohn's edition of Homer’s Odyssey. Widely known for his essays on classical literature and culture in the New Yorker and many other publications, Mendelsohn gives us a line-for-line rendering of the Odyssey that is both engrossing as poetry and true to its source. Mendelsohn’s expansive six-beat line, far closer to the original than that of other recent translations, allows him to capture each of Homer’s dense verses without sacrificing the amplitude and shadings of the original. A discussion will follow. Please register for this free event here. |
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Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Richard Gordon Jazz Series Featuring Eri Yamamoto’s Colors of The Night Trio
Jazz at Bard and the László Z. Bitó Conservatory of Music PresentBitó Conservatory Building, Performance Space 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Free and open to the public. Artist Talk with Eri Yamamoto: 4:00–5:00 PM, Blum N211 Concert: 7:30 PM, László Z. Bitó Conservatory Performance Space Featuring: Eri Yamamoto, piano; William Parker, bass; Ikuo Takeuchi, drums. Eri Yamamoto has firmly established herself as one of Jazz’s most original and compelling pianists and composers. Her artistry has been lauded by Jazz legends and critics alike. This special concert is dedicated to the memory of Richard Gordon, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Bard College and a consummate Jazz pianist. His enduring contributions to both academia and the arts will be honored through this musical tribute. The series is generously supported by Bard Jazz Studies, the Bitó Conservatory of Music, and private donations in his memory. Download: Eri-Yamamoto-Poster-1.pdf |
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Thursday, March 27, 2025 Augustine’s Varieties of Natural Slavery: A Talk by Toni Alimi, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Classics, Cornell University
Olin Humanities, Room 102 5:15 pm EDT/GMT-4Augustine is typically interpreted as having denied that there are natural slaves. Aspects of Augustine’s account of slavery were central to 17th-century English rationalizations for slavery. However, his account left open several lacunae that these pro-slavers turned to Aristotle to fill. The methods for filling these lacunae were in turn central to the legal codification of some modern notions of race, including three familiar features: first, that race is immutable; second, that race is inheritable; third, that Blacks are deficient to whites. This talk will discuss Aristotle's work and how it was interpreted in the 17th century. |