Dissent!: University of Louisville

This symposium is a major academic component of a larger partnership among the University and a number of local organizations to create a forum for sustained discussion of the importance of dissent in our nation’s civic and cultural life. While the larger effort, to run January-April 2006, is focused on dissent as “An American Tradition,” the symposium is open to scholars working on dissent of any time and place. We define dissent as a social process and cultural value; we view it as a process by which minorities challenge the power of majorities, but also as part of the process by which majorities recast or reaffirm their fundamental beliefs. Dissent is enshrined in our system of government through the filibuster, embodied in the legal system by the dissenting opinion, lived out in our family lives through adolescent rebellion, and enmeshed in every aspect of our culture, ancient and modern, sacred and profane. From the cries of Job to the rants of Lenny Bruce, from the plays of Aristophanes to the poetry of Adrienne Rich and Sonia Sanchez, from the paintings of Goya to the graphics of Barbara Kruger and the silhouettes of Kara Walker, dissent has served as a driving force in literature and the arts, as well as in religion. It has animated movements for pacifism and for violent revolution, and has been a rhetorical mode for thinkers and actors on both ends of the political spectrum.

Dissent! is a series of events designed to bring together scholars, community groups and arts organizations, and the general public for an exploration of the idea of dissent as personal experience, social action, and artistic inspiration. We believe that humanistic and artistic inquiry into our core values and traditions can bridge ideological gaps and foster tolerance for political and personal differences. We hope that Dissent! will celebrate Kentucky's unique tradition of iconoclasm and dissent, and inspire community members to act on their own beliefs and to respect the rights of others to act on theirs.

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