William Paterson University Conference Explores Anger and Political Transformation

Ian Haney-Lopéz, law professor at the University of California-Berkeley and leading thinker on how racism has evolved in the U.S., is the keynote speaker at October 27 event

What is the role of anger as a tool for political change? A day-long multidisciplinary conference at William Paterson University in Wayne, “The Public Spectacle: Exploring Anger and Political Transformations,” will delve into that topic on Thursday, October 27, 2016, just one week before voters head to the polls in the United States. The event, hosted by the University’s College of the Humanities and Social Sciences, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the University Commons Ballroom on campus. It is free and open to the public.

The event is divided into three sessions in which multiple speakers will highlight the function of anger in politics as both a political tool and a response. The conference will also explore how anger is displayed in politics through campaigns, and its disconnect from political transformation.

The keynote session, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., will feature Ian Haney-Lopéz, who will discuss “Anger and Politics: Exploring the Connections Between Race, Democracy, and Economic Inequality.” Haney-Lopéz is the John H. Boalt Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches race and constitutional law. Haney-Lopéz, whose current research emphasizes the connection between racial divisions in society and growing wealth inequality in the U.S., is also the author of five books and the director of the Racial Politics Project at the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society.

The morning session, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., is titled “Anger, Social Media, and Reform.” This session will feature Khalilah Brown-Dean, associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University, and Kevin Lanning, professor at Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, as speakers. The final conference session, from 2-3:15 p.m., is titled “Exploring Anger Globally: Fear of the Other in Europe and the United States.” Speaking during the final conference session will be Jacqueline Ghering, associate professor of political science and international studies at Allegheny College, and José Jorge Mendoza, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Victor, assistant professor of philosophy, at victore@wpunj.edu.

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