Thinking Out
of the Lunchbox
Spring 2005
April 6, 2005
Dancing the Disease: Music, AIDS, and Healing in Africa
Greg Barz,
Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology
In many parts of the world healing is a process that is performed, and the human body is often a stage for performances of health, healing, and for direct medical interventions. In Uganda, women sing, dance, and perform dramas to educate others about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. People listen. People react. People learn. That many women in Uganda today "dance their disease" demonstrates a powerful response to the virus and disease that has all but wiped out entire villages, entire populations in sub-Saharan Africa. In this presentation several case studies will be introduced that highlight the musical (and medical) interventions of women as they perform their healing efforts for others.
Video Archive
March 2, 2005
Body Politics: Looking at Science, Technology, and Medicine through a Feminist Lens
Monica Casper,
Director of Women's Studies, Vanderbilt University
In this talk, I use three case studies to explore the utility and consequences of feminist scholarship. Drawing from my research on three different yet related projects examining the U.S. chemical weapons disposal program, new sterilization technologies, and the environmental health movement, I discuss the kinds of questions feminist scholars ask (and answer) about gender, bodies, culture, technology, and politics. My intention is to challenge the audience's taken-for-granted notions about what feminism is, while providing interesting and provocative data about key global and national health issues.
Video Archive
February 2, 2005
Jacques Derrida (1930-2004): The Socrates of Our Time?
David Wood,
Professor of Philosophy.
Moderated by Gordon Gee, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University