Episode description
Knowledge lies at the heart of a healthy democracy, and its many custodians include libraries, universities, cultural institutions, and a free and independent media. So what happens when these institutions are intimidated, dismantled or destroyed, as is happening in America right now, under the government of President Donald Trump?
This event was recorded at the University of Technology Sydney's Vice Chancellor's Democracy Forum on 14 May 2025.
Speakers
Sarah ChurchwellProfessor of American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of LondonAuthor, The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby, Behold, America: A History of America First and the American Dream, and The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America TellsDirector, Being Human festival and Living Literature event seriesJudge, Man Booker Prize
Anna Funder (host)Author, Wifedom, Stasiland and All That I AmLuminary and Ambassador, University of Technology Sydney
Roy Green (host)Emeritus Professor and Special Innovation Advisor at University of Technology SydneyFormer Dean of the UTS Business SchoolChair of the UTS Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub
Further information:
From Gatsby to Huck Finn — American literature in an age of polarisation - Sarah Churchwell on Big Ideas, ABC Radio National 4 November 2024