| “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” A History of Ignorance |
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Panel with Krzysztof Czyżewski, Irena Grudzińska-Gross, Leszek Koczanowicz, Jarosław Fret Sun 11 November 3pm Laboratory Theatre Space Admission free Rather than focusing on the history of the events of 1915 or the history of the ensuing denial and taboo, the discussion will centre on the history of ignorance that feeds on inaction and leads to inaction on the part of today’s Europeans. On the other hand, the history of ignorance also includes the social story of building an accord of silence around each act of violence. The events in Anatolia in the early 20th century should launch us into a wider debate about lessons in witnessing after witnessing, which always turn into lessons in identity.
Irena Grudzińska-Gross is a historian of literature and ideas, essayist and writer. Her studies in Roman literature were interrupted by the events of 1968; she resumed them in Italy and USA. She has authored books including Miłosz i Brodski. Pole magnetyczne (2007; Miłosz and Brodsky. A Magnetic Field), essays, reviews and journalism. She is a contributor to many journals including Aneks, Res Publica, The New Yorker, Slavic Review, La Fiera Letteraria, and Polish Review. She co-authored, with Jan Tomasz Gross, a historical essay entitled Złote żniwa (2011; Golden Harvest). She is a lecturer at New York University. From 2003 to 2008 she served as Director of the Institute of Human Studies at Boston University. She is currently Associate Research Scholar at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Princeton University, and Visiting Professor at the PAN Institute of Slavic Studies. Leszek Koczanowicz is a philosopher and psychologist, professor at the University of Humanities and Social Sciences (Wrocław Faculty). His areas of interest include contemporary philosophy, philosophy of culture, and political philosophy. He worked in the Institute of Philosophy and Department of Cultural Studies at the University of Wrocław and in the Department of Psychology at the University of Opole. He lectured at SUNY/Buffalo and Columbia University, New York City. His books include Wspólnota i emancypacje. Spór o społeczeństwo postkonwencjonalne (2005; Community and Emancipations. The Discussion of Post-conventional Society), Politics of Time. Dynamics of Identity in Post-Communist Poland (2008) and Lęk nowoczesny. Eseje o demokracji i jej adwersarzach (2011; Modern Anxiety. Essays on Democracy and its Adversaries). Koczanowicz is the winner of the MISTRZ (MASTER) competition organized by the Foundation for Polish Science.
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