The Public Square at the IHC hosts a discussion on scholar Robert Jensen’s provocative new book.
CHICAGO – How does pornography shape relationships and identity? What does itsay about what it meansto be a “real man”? In his new book Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity, author Robert Jensen examinesthese questions and more, arguingthat mainstream pornography creates a toxic masculinity that encourages the objectification and subjugation of women. But can there be a feminist pornography? Throughout history, desire and passion have often been repressed. How are these powerful emotions expressed in emancipatory movements and, more generally, what does sexual expression look like in the 21st century?
Join us for a provocative discussion about pornography’s effect on contemporary sexuality with Robert Jensen, Associate Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, and Barbara DeGenevieve, Professor of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This event will take place on Thursday, January 31st from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum (800 S. Halsted St., Chicago).
This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and can be made by e-mailing events@prairie.org or by calling 312.422.5580. The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and Resources for Sexual Violence Prevention at the University of Chicago are the co-sponsors of this event.
More about the panelists:
Robert Jensen is an associate professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches courses in media law, ethics, and politics. He also is director of the Senior Fellows Program, the honors program of the College of Communication. In his research, Jensen draws on a variety of critical approaches to media and power. Much of his work has focused on pornography and the radical feminist critique of sexuality and men’s violence. In more recent work, he has addressed questions of race through a critique of white privilege and institutionalized racism. In addition to Getting Off, he is the author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege (City Lights, 2005) and Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity (City Lights, 2004).
Barbara DeGenevieve is an interdisciplinary artist who works in photography, video, and performance. She lectures widely on her work as well as subjects including sexuality, gender, trans-sexuality, censorship, ethics, and pornography. Her writing on these subjects has been published in art, photographic, and scholarly journals, and her work has been exhibited internationally. DeGenevieve received her MFA in photography from the University of New Mexico in 1980, and the same year began teaching at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. DeGenevieve is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC SQUARE AT THE IHC
The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council fosters debate, dialogue, and exchange of ideas about cultural, social and political issues with an emphasis on social justice. Programs promote participatory democracy by creating space for public conversations.
This program is part of The Public Square’s Artists, Authors and Activists After Hours (AAAH) series. AAAH programs are intimate, informal discussions over meals that allow for meaningful exchanges among people who share some connection to the work of a visiting artist, author or activist. Since coalition building is one of the cornerstones of social change, AAAH programs are structured to give individuals a chance to meet others engaged in similar struggles and projects.
More information about The Public Square at the IHC is available at www.thepublicsquare.org.
The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.
D A R E T O K N O W
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