IAS Turbulence: Feminist Futures for Turbulent Times

The turbulent future that democratic elections anticipate all over the world seems rather bleak. The extreme right is capitalizing on the fear of permanently unstable conditions by making the other, the most vulnerable of us, responsible. Meanwhile, feminism and its intersections open the doors to alternative futures of dialogue with and respect for us all.

Celebrating the legacies of feminist science fiction writers Octavia E. Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin, thinkers from different disciplines will speak about these writers’ influence on their work in current or previous turbulent times. What are turbulent times? How can Octavia E Butler and/or Usula K Le Guin help us think in/through/about these times and how we respond to them?

Speakers:

• Ama Josephine Budge (Psychosocial Studies, BBK)
• Polly Gould (Newcastle University & Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL)
• Christine (Xine) Yao (English, UCL) 
• Katie Stone (School of Arts, Birkbeck)

Chaired by Véra Ehrenstein (IAS, UCL)

All welcome. Please note that there may be photography and/or audio recording at some events and that admission is on a first come first served basis. Please follow this FAQ link for more information.

Image: Detail from 1988 cover of Dawn, the first book of Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood triology. Illustration by George Underwood.