Roundtable: 1920/2020

This roundtable is part of the Carsey-Wolf Center’s winter 2021 series “Media, Technology, and Politics under Pressure.” “1920/2020” will reflect on the historical and material dimensions of cinematic and public spaces, changes to both after the 1918 influenza pandemic, and the implications of this history for understanding our current time. What is at stake when media become involved in efforts to protect against disease or mechanize comfort? What can we learn from an earlier pandemic about the anxieties of our own time, including fears of crowds, enclosed spaces, and social interactions?

The roundtable will feature Stephen Groening (University of Washington), Maggie Hennefeld (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities), Brian Jacobson (California Institute of Technology), and Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee), and will be moderated by Carsey-Wolf Center director Patrice Petro.

This virtual event will take place via Zoom. The event is free but prior registration is required.