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[On March 5, 2019, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Nicholson Distinguished Scholar Ananya Roy (UCLA) entitled “Racial Banishment: A Postcolonial Critique of the Urban Condition in America.” Below is a response by Nubras Samayeen (Landscape Architecture) and Cameron McCarthy (Education).]A Necropolitical Landscape: Life and Death in Great...

[On February 18, 2019, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Jessica Greenberg (Anthropology) entitled "The Anxiety of Unfinalizability: Legal Activism, Judicial Ethics and the Problem of Justice." Below is a response by Anirban Mukhopadhyay (ICR).] Effect of Effectiveness and the "Affect" of Effectiveness Written by Anirban Mukhopadhyay Justice, as Jessica Greenberg...

[On January 24, 2019, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Audra Simpson (Columbia University) entitled “Savage States: Settler Governance in an Age of Sorrow.” Below is a response to the lecture by Cyanne Topaum (English).] The Other Structures: Indigenous Scripts of Refusal in an Age of Reconciliation Written by Cyanne Topaum (English) Professor Audra Simpson (...

[On January 24th, 2019 the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted the lecture "Savage States: Settler Governance in an Age of Sorrow" by Nicholson Distinguished Visiting Scholar Audra Simpson (Columbia). Below is a response to the lecture by Professor Jodi Byrd (English/Gender and Women's Studies).] Response to Audra Simpson's lecture "Savage States: Settler Governance in an Age of...

[On October 30, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Nicholas Estes ( University of New Mexico) entitled ""Indigenous Studies: As Radical as Reality Itself" as part of the Fall 2018 Modern and Critical Theory Lecture Series. Below is a response to the lecture from Helen Makhdoumian (English). ] "Indigenous Studies: As Radical as Reality Itself": Nicholas...

[On October 16, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Shona Jackson (Texas A&M) entitled “Postcolonial Theory, Sort of, Not Really, Maybe Not at All” as part of the Fall 2018 Modern and Critical Theory Lecture Series. Below is a response to the lecture from Md Alamgir Hossain (English).] “Postcolonial Theory, Sort of, Not Really, Maybe Not at All”:...

[On October 2, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Geoffrey Bennington (Emory) entitled "Politics in Deconstruction" as part of the Fall 2018 Modern and Critical Theory Lecture Series. Below is a response to the lecture from Robin Sudanan Turner (French & Italian).] "If it worked, we wouldn't need it": On the Politics of Deconstruction Written by Robin Sudanan...

[On October 9, the Unit for Criticism & Interpretive Theory hosted a lecture by Jana Sawicki (Williams) entitled “Foucault, Biopolitics, and the Importance of Experiments in Living” as part of the Fall 2018 Modern Critical Theory Lecture Series. Below is a response to the lecture from Patrick Kimutis (English).] Jana Sawicki on “Foucault, Biopolitics, and the Importance of Experiments in...

[On September 15, 2018 the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory and the School of Art + Design hosted a conversation between Anna Tsing and Ryan Griffis (Art + Design) as a part of the symposium Unnatural Disasters: Climate Change and the Limits of the Knowable. Below is a response by Angela Baldus (Art Education).] Experiments in Collaboration: A Conversation with Anna...

[On September 14, 2018 the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted Stacy Alaimo (UT Arlington) and Richard Keller (UW Madison) on a panel moderated by Zsuzsa Gille (Sociology) a part of the symposium Unnatural Disasters: Climate Change and the Limits of the Knowable. Below is a response to the panel by Brian F. O'Neill (Sociology).] Of Asphalt and Aquatic Snails:...

[On September 13th, 2018 the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory hosted the lecture "The More than Human Anthropocene" by visiting scholar Anna Tsing (UC-Santa Cruz). Below is a response to the lecture by Michael Uhall (Political Science).] Salvaging the Feral Written by Michael Uhall (Political Science) Most of...

[On April 12th, 2018 artist Joana Moll delivered an artist talk for Technocultural Futurisms, a symposium affiliated with the university-wide initiative Illinois 150: The 21st Century University and Research for the Public Good. Below is a response to Moll's artist talk by Asiya Ikhsanova (Comparative and World Literature).] Response to Joana Moll's Artist Talk...

[On April 10th, 2018 author Amitav Ghosh delivered the keynote address entitled "Embattled Earth: Commodities, Conflict and Climate Change in the Indian Ocean," for the university-wide symposium Illinois 150: The 21st Century University and Research for the Public Good. Below is a response to the lecture by Dilara Çalışkan (Anthropology).] Response to Amitav Ghosh's lecture “Embattled...

[On March 27th, 2018 the Unit for Criticism & Interpretive Theory hosted the lecture “The Open Secret of Racial Capitalist Violence” by visiting scholar Jodi Melamed (Marquette). Below is a response to the lecture by professor Mimi Thi Nguyen (Gender and Women's Studies and Asian American Studies).] Response to Jodi Melamed's lecture "The Open Secret of Racial Capitalist Violence" Written by...

[On March 27th, 2018 the Unit for Criticism & Interpretive Theory hosted the lecture "The Open Secret of Racial Capitalist Violence" by visiting scholar Jodi Melamed (Marquette). Below is a response to the lecture from Ezgi Guner (Anthropology).] Logics and Logistics of Racial CapitalismWritten by Ezgi Guner (Anthropology) Jodi Melamed began by acknowledging...