NYU Sociology Professor Craig Calhoun will deliver a University Professorship Lecture on Tues., Nov. 14, 6 p.m. at NYU’s Silver Center, Hemmerdinger Hall (100 Washington Square East). Calhoun’s lecture, “The Emergency Imaginary: Humanitarianism, States, and the Limits of Cosmopolitanism,” will consider “humanitarian emergencies” as a social category: how it developed historically, how it is related to different kinds of political, aid, and relief projects, and how it shapes responses to suffering and conflict. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required for entry and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. To RSVP, go to http://www.nyu.edu/provost/university.professor/. For questions, call 212.998.2190.
Calhoun has been president of the Social Science Research Council since 1999. He is also University Professor of the Social Sciences at NYU and Visiting Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. Calhoun’s empirical research has ranged from Britain and France to China and three different African countries. His study of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 resulted in the prize-winning book, Neither Gods Nor Emperors: Students and the Struggle for Democracy in China (California, 1994). Among his other works are Nationalism (Minnesota, 1997), Critical Social Theory: Culture, History, and the Challenge of Difference (Blackwell, 1995), and several edited collections including Habermas and the Public Sphere (MIT, 1992), Hannah Arendt and the Meaning of Politics (Minnesota, 1997), Understanding September 11 (New Press, 2002), and Lessons of Empire (New Press, 2005).
Calhoun’s talk is part of the University Professorship Lecture series, which was established to recognize faculty who have recently been appointed as University Professors at NYU. University Professorships are conferred upon outstanding scholars in recognition of the interdisciplinary dimension and breadth of their work.