Transgressive Language in the Ancient World
“The Rise of the Low: Classics and the Study of the Abject”
Keynote Address to the Boulder Classics Gradaute Colloquium by Dr. Amy Richlin, UCLA is made possible through support from a CWCTP Faculty Grant.
Results:
In her talk, Richlin traced the history of the study of the abject: from antiquity to the Enlightenment, to redefinitions as the academy developed from 1800 to 1968, to the rise of the low between 1968 and today, with thoughts on the triggered classroom in the immediate future and on what we might expect in the next decades. It was very well received, and the Q&A that followed was lively. Richlin’s talk formed the keynote of a cross-disciplinary graduate student conference (“Transgressive Language in the Ancient World”) held the following day; and she served as a fully engaged and enlightening interlocutor for the 9 graduate students (from Yale, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, USC, Washington University in St. Louis, and Boulder) who gave papers on that occasion, to an audience of around 30. Richlin also spent time during her visit engaging individually with graduate students, faculty (especially those such as Andy Cain and John Gibert who share research interests with Richlin) and our doctoral graduate and now Classics adjunct, Reina Callier, whose published work Richlin admires. She also took the grads up on their offer of showing her the Art Museum. The visit was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and we in Classics look forward to maintaining communication with Richlin and other members of the UCLA Classics Department. We are extremely grateful to the CWCTP for the financial support we received for the visit.
The Center for Western Civilization, Thought and Policy funds research and educational initiatives that contribute to critical reflection on the development of Western civilization. All Boulder faculty and students are eligible to apply If you are interested in applying for a CWCTP faculty grant, deadlines are rolling throughout the year.