Saturday, February 15, 2025
11:30 Am ET | Pavilion Auditorium
FLYER PDF | JPG

How We Got Here

A discussion on the roots of the American political crisis with James Davison Hunter, Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory, University of Virginia, and Paul Kahn, Professor of Law and the Humanities, Yale University, moderated by Amy Sapenoff, teacher

According to opinion-makers, half of the country thinks the other half is not “really” American (and vice-versa). How did we arrive at this deep-rooted polarization whose end is not in sight? Where do we need to point our attention and energy to address this? Both speakers tried to answer these questions in their recent books. They argue that the true problem is not polarization per se, but the absence of cultural resources to work through what divides us, on the one hand, and, on the other, the increased difficulty for citizens to take part in their community’s collective life. Their conversation will be a fascinating attempt to identify the causes of the stand-off and, thus, offer more adequate ways to address it.

IN-PERSON & LIVESTREAMED