Quelle voix pour les universitaires dans les débats sur les sujets de société?” A Conversation with Prof. Jennifer Tamas (Rutgers University)
On October 25, 2023, Prof. Jennifer Tamas (Department of French, Rutgers University) discussed her book Au Non des femmes. Libérer nos classiques du regard masculin (Le Seuil, 2023).
A specialist of early modern French literature, Prof. Tamas has received remarkable attention in the media for her reexamination of the French canon through the female gaze, retracing an “archive of refusal” as a possible source of inspiration to invigorate feminist discourse.
In light of Jennifer Tamas’s resonance beyond academia, Georgetown French professor Guy Spielmann, the event organizer, facilitated a conversation on the role of humanities and social science faculty in debates on major current issues. What voice do they have to contribute to cultural discussions in social contexts that tend to consider academic expertise elitist? How can university scholars productively relate to the world of media and how can they situate themselves in increasingly polarized cultural scenarios without reinforcing ideologies?