This event has been curated by Dr Eliane Glaser as part of the Research Fellow Knowledge Exchange
It is held as part of Arts Week 2019
Monday 20 May | Keynes Library, Birkbeck | 18:00-20:00
Elites’ in politics and culture have become public enemy number one. But who are they, really? Does elitism mean social privilege, or the defence of beauty and difficult ideas? Eliane Glaser (Birkbeck) convenes thinkers and writers across different disciplines to discuss these questions.
This event will explore the cultural and political meanings of anti-elitism in contemporary discourse. Bringing together staff from the Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, the Department of English and Humanities, and the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, this event will explore the following questions: Why has a rhetoric of anti-elitism been marshalled against not only politicians but also cultural institutions, journalists, and intellectuals? How is cultural ‘democratisation’ being used as a proxy for economic equality and political representation? What is the current and historic relationship between cultural and intellectual excellence, social privilege, and economic elitism? What might a contemporary articulation of cultural and aesthetic excellence look like?
This panel discussion will involve:
and chair by Dr. Eliane Glaser.
