February 26, 1996
Contact: Jamie Lawson (615) 322-2706 or Ben Papa (615) 343-0350
Political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain kicks off trio of
Project Dialogue programs on gender issues
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain, the
Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Ethics at the University of Chicago,
will lead a Wednesday, March 13, program that will explore the ways in which
American feminists "export feminism" to other countries and cultures.
The lecture, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in 103 Wilson Hall, is free and open
to the public.
Elshtain is on leave from Vanderbilt where she is the Centennial Professor
of Political Science and a professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt, will question
whether there is a "one size fits all" way to view gender and
women's issues. Her lecture will include references to interviews she has
conducted with women of various cultural backgrounds from around the world.
A self-described "public intellectual," a figure whose job it
is to stimulate public debate on critical issues, Elshtain's books include
"Public Man, Private Woman: Women in Social and Political Thought,"
"Meditations on Modern Political Thought," "Women and War"
and "Power Trips and Other Journeys." Her essays on such diverse
issues as racism on campuses, pornography, the rise of nationalism and gender
roles have appeared in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal
to The Progressive.
Scholar Judith Butler, a professor of rhetoric and comparative literature
at the University of California at Berkeley, will talk on "The End
of Sexual Difference?" Monday, March 18. Butler's lecture, which begins
at 7:30 p.m. in 103 Wilson Hall, is also free and open to the public.
Vanderbilt political scientist David Steiner describes Butler as "arguably
the most influential intellectual feminist in the United States today."
The author of Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity,"
Butler will discuss the arguments about the relationship between gender
as being "culturally constructed" and sex as being "naturally
occurring." She has written extensively on questions of identity, politics,
gender and sexuality.
Closing out the trio of programs is a Thursday, March 28, lecture titled
"Women and Society: A Traditionalist Perspective." The program,
which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in 103 Wilson Hall, will be led by Connie
Marshner. Marshner was the founder and first chairperson of the National
Pro-Family Coalition, which defends the interests of the family and traditional
values in the nation's capital. The NPFC organized Christian participation
in the 1980 White House Conference on Families. In 1985, she served as executive
vice president of the Free Congress Foundation, a family values organization.
Marshner's recent books include "Decent Exposure: How to Teach Your
Children About Sex" and "Can Motherhood Survive?" Her consulting
business concerns political strategy for values-related issues.
Project Dialogue, a year-long series of lectures, films, panel discussions
and other events focusing on a theme, was initiated in 1989 and is held
every other academic year at Vanderbilt. This year's series of events is
centered around the theme "On Trial: Truth and Representation."
Coordinating this year's effort is 1995 Vanderbilt graduate Ben Papa.
-VU-
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