What is beauty, and what is its political function? In what ways might it help undermine white supremacy and cultivate a more democratic political culture? Robert Gooding-Williams will shine a light on W. E. B. Du Bois’ attempts to answer these questions during the decade surrounding the First World War and will offer a groundbreaking account of the philosopher’s aesthetics.

James B. Haile III will trace how Black speculative fiction responds to enslavement, racism, colonialism, and capitalism, and how it reveals a life beyond alienation. Looking at Black life through speculative fiction, he will help us to explore alternative worlds and spaces while remaining rooted in present-day struggles. In so doing, he will rethink historical and contemporary Black experiences.

Is AI and its tools opening up new avenues of perception and exploration for mankind or, on the contrary, diminishing them? What are the effects of AI on artistic creation? Should we revisit the concept of author? Is the future one of co-creation? Please join Pireeni Sundaralingam, Nicholas Halmi, and Audrey Borowski for a discussion on the impacts and ramifications of AI on human creativity.