The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity: A Conversation with Sarah Schulman
For those who seek to combat injustice, solidarity with the oppressed is one of the highest ideals, yet it does not come without complication. In The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity, award-winning writer and cultural critic Sarah Schulman examines the inherent psychological and social challenges to solidarity movements, and what that means for the future.
At this special Humanities Without Boundaries event, Schulman will delve into the intricate and often misunderstood concept of solidarity to provide a new vision for what it means to engage in this work. Drawing parallels between queer, Palestinian, feminist, and artistic struggles for justice, Schulman will challenge the traditional notion of solidarity as a simple union of equals, arguing that in today’s world of globalized power structures, true solidarity requires the collaboration of bystanders and conflicted perpetrators with the excluded and oppressed.
This dynamic conversation will be moderated by Emily Callaci, Professor of History at UW-Madison. The event is free and open to all. Following the discussion (and time-permitting), Schulman will sign copies of her book, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity. You can purchase the book in advance at A Room of One’s Own.
Sarah Schulman is a novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, screenwriter, and AIDS historian. She is the author of 21 books, most recently The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity (Thesis Books/Penguin Random House.) Schulman holds an endowed chair in Creative Writing at Northwestern University and is on the Advisory Board of Jewish Voice for Peace.