2020 Tucson Humanities Festival

With a more diverse student body than ever, the University of Arizona has a responsibility to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all and everyone can take individual steps toward a respectful and safe environment. But what happens if students do not feel that the institution has lived up to this responsibility? Hear from College of Humanities majors and student leaders about justice on a university campus, fostering a healthy discourse, and holding leadership accountable.

The panel is comprised of student leaders who are active in social justice issues on campus and around the world:

Joshua Billy, Navajo, 1st semester B.S. in Nursing student, co-founder of VOICE (Voices of Indigenous Concerns in Education)

Malaika Denis, Africana Studies and Architecture double major, French minor, and student leader in COBA (The Coalition of Black Students and Allies)

Jhonatan Henao-Muñoz, M.A. Candidate in Hispanic Linguistics, and M.A. Student in French Linguistics and Second Language Learning & Teaching, College of Humanities Graduate Representative at the Graduate and Professional Student Association, and other social justice groups on campus

Alexandra Johnson, German Studies and Anthropology double major, Spanish minor, College of Humanities Ambassador. She was involved in social justice activism at Universität Heidelberg in Germany.

Shawn Tarver, General Studies major, College of Humanities Ambassador. He is involved in social justice activism in both the U.S. and Spain.

This innovative project features dozens of video interviews representing 15 countries, accessible on an interactive map, documenting the meaning of freedom in numerous African languages and contexts across the continent. Taken together, these interviews offer an extensive, substantive debate and numerous perspectives prevalent in contemporary Africa. The project values cultural agency in indigenous languages, ensuring African voices shape the conversation, set priorities and say what the struggle means to them. Phyllis Taoua, Professor of French, will provide a guided tour of her project and website: Documenting Freedom in Africa.

Emeritus Professor Tatum, an expert in Chicano and Hispanic literature, discusses Rodrigo Reyes’ provocative 2013 essay film that re-imagines the Mexico/U.S. border as a mythical place comparable to Dante’s purgatory.

The THF Film Series is designed for at-home viewing of films hand-selected by our faculty. Their commentary is intended to provide context, insight and analysis to enhance your viewing experience of the films.

* The introduction may include spoilers.

Rabissi introduces the remote Mediterranean island Lampedusa, where Italian director Gianfranco Rosi’s award-winning documentary juxtaposes the daily life of a local 12-year-old boy with the experiences of thousands of men, women and children who risk their lives to make the brutal sea crossing from Africa, jolting the audience into a new understanding of what is happening in the region, the heavy toll of the migrant crisis, and the price of freedom.

The THF Film Series is designed for at-home viewing of films hand-selected by our faculty. Their commentary is intended to provide context, insight and analysis to enhance your viewing experience of the films.

* The introduction may include spoilers.

Borderland regions can present complex tangles of geopolitics, nationalism and differing cultural heritages and languages. New possibilities exist alongside forces of dominance and oppression that run directly contrary to principles of freedom and justice. College of Humanities researchers specializing in various regions, languages and cultures discuss how the interplay of these issues create systemic inequalities and how resilient action seeks to counteract those forces. 

This is a LIVE panel discussion on Zoom. Register to receive the link and to submit a question in advance for the panelists. 

Theatre and Protest in Putin’s Russia
Colleen Lucey, Russian & Slavic Studies

Social Justice work in Mexican American Catholic Processions
Daisy Vargas, Religious Studies & Classics

How Does Buddhist Studies Engage Social Justice?
Jiang Wu, East Asian Studies | Director, Center for Buddhist Studies

Faculty across the College of Humanities are engaged in research and scholarship that address systemic racism and discrimination. Hear about concrete activities from a variety of disciplines working to counteract these prevailing inequalities and how this research can lead to a better tomorrow. Presenters will reflect on their own work and articulate what the audience can take away from the Toward Justice series as they become advocates for greater freedom, equality and justice for all.

Japanese for ‘chit-chat,’ PechaKucha is a storytelling format in which a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds of commentary each, totaling 6 minutes 40 seconds. Presentations are grouped together for a fast-paced, simple and engaging showcase of new topics and ideas.