What is Authority? Speaking from the Museum

In a time when fundamental democratic institutions are under assault, the question of cultural authority-its conditions of appearance and disappearance-is critical. As a trusted civic institution, a museum draws its legitimacy and interpretive authority from the academy and the disciplines it names and organizes. The legacy of the culture wars has eroded much of this intellectual authority. What remains of the politicized public space? What form can creative resistance take when institutions of authority disintegrate?

Join us for an evening of devastating insights and ironic affirmations with Avital Ronell, considered “one of the most original, bold and surprising” thinkers “in the contemporary academy.” Followed by a Q&A with life-long colleague and collaborator, Christopher Fynsk.