New York University will host author Salman Rushdie for “Can/Must Good Art Be Politically Correct?”—a live-streamed conversation on the role of satire in the public sphere with George Washington University Professor Lisa Page—on Wed., March 30, 6:30 p.m.
New York University will host author Salman Rushdie for “Can/Must Good Art Be Politically Correct?”—a live-streamed conversation on the role of satire in the public sphere with George Washington University Professor Lisa Page—on Wed., March 30, 6:30 p.m. from its Washington, DC Academic Center (Abramson Family Auditorium, 1307 L St., NW).
With last year’s attacks against Charlie Hebdo, writers’ and artists’ freedom of expression is once again being called into question, raising a set of challenging considerations: Does an offensive or disrespectful portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed in a satirical cartoon realize or betray American and European values of pluralism and multiculturalism? How do we defend the freedom of secular-artistic expression against other peoples’ religiously motivated fundamental rejection of such satire? How do we show respect towards those individuals who do not necessarily take part in or support the secular culture of their own country? How can we successfully integrate two fundamental pillars of transatlantic societies—respect for religious belief/practice and free expression of ideas—to create the open and pluralistic communities towards which Europeans and Americans have been striving for centuries?
Rushdie, a Writer in Residence at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, will discuss these matters and read an excerpt from his most recent book, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.
Page is the director of Creative Writing at the George Washington University. Her areas of expertise are contemporary literature and cultural identity.
The event, part of NYU Washington’s Salon Series: Conversations with Writers & Artists, is co-sponsored with the European Union National Institutes of Culture.