February

Memory, Trauma and Location Speaker Series

"Remembering a Heroic Past in a Gentrified Present: Boston's Monument to Harriet Tubman & the Underground Railroad"

Thursday February 10, 2:50-4:30PM, 102 West Village G

A few blocks from Northeastern University's campus is a sculpture entitled "Step on Board." Located at the intersection of Columbus and West Warren Avenues, this statue commemorates Mother Moses -- Harriet Tubman -- and the Underground Railroad. As opposed to many monuments that glorify the Boston of the Revolutionary War era, this bronze in the South End recalls the city's role in the Abolitionist movement. Yet, ironically, this monument celebrating Boston's African American history is located in what is now a highly gentrified neighborhood. Join us for a discussion about these topics with the artist who designed this memorial, Fern Cunningham.

Featured speaker: Fern Cunningham, sculptor & designer of the "Step on Board" Monument

Discussants: Prof. Robert Hall, Department of African American Studies & Prof. Kumarini Silva, Department of Communication Studies

Refreshments will be served.

Humanities Center Film Series - "Life Isn't Pretty: Representation and Exploitation

The Couple in the Cage, Directed by Coco Fusco (1992)

February 16, 11:45AM, 90 Snell Library

In a series of performances, Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gómez–Peña decked themselves out in costumes and appeared before the public as “undiscovered Amerindians” locked in a golden cage. Their performances evoked various responses, the most startling being people who didn’t find the idea “natives” locked in a cage objectionable.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Forum

Thursday February 17, 3-4:30PM, 716 Columbus Avenue, Suite 202

Lana Cook (English): '"All in the game": Value and HBO's The Wire"

Autumn Mathias (Sociology): "The "Supply" of Sex Trafficking in India and Barriers to Reintegration: Globalization, Fundamentalist Discourse, and the State"

Humanities Center Film Series - "Life Isn't Pretty: Representation and Exploitation

Water, Directed by Deepa Mehta (2006)

February 24, 2:50-4:45PM, 90 Snell Library

Set against Gandhi’s rise to power, “Water” tells the moving story of an Indian girl married and widowed at eight years old, who is sent away to a home where Hindu widows must live penitence. Her presence deeply affects the other residence, forcing each to confront his or her own faith and society’s prejudices.