Ithaca Premiere

1962 > France > Directed by James Blue

With Pierre Prothon, Jean Pélégri, Marie Decaître

Influential American documentarian James Blue's only narrative feature, drawn from Jean Jean Pélégri’s autobiographical novel, was shot in Algiers during the Algerian War. The story unfolds as Jean returns home to visit his dying father and recalls his childhood. "His memories of boyhood on his father's farm are told in flashbacks with a lush serenity that contrasts to the teeming, tank-filled streets of contemporary Algiers." (Kino Lorber) The film was the inaugural winner of the Critics Prize at Cannes (1962) and was recently restored. Subtitled. With a pre-recorded intro by Richard Herskowitz, former Cornell Cinema director, who works on the James Blue Project and was involved with the film’s restoration. More at https://www.kinolorber.com/film/the-olive-trees-of-justice

1 hr 21 min

2019 > Senegal > Directed by Mati Diop
With Mama Sane, Amadou Mbow, Ibrahima Traore
In a suburb of Dakar, workers on the construction site of a futuristic tower, without pay for months, decide to leave for Portugal in search of a better future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada. Though the men's small ship has disappeared at sea, Souleiman has recently been spotted in Dakar, upsetting the lives of the women who were left behind. Subtitled. More at netflix.com/title/81082007
1 hr 44 min

The turbulence of the Trump administration and a chaotic 2020 presidential election revealed vulnerabilities in American democracy, and raised the possibility that it could be threatened directly. Many observers imagined that the election’s outcome might restore some sense of stability to a democratic system under stress, but 2021 was no tonic: we saw a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol provoked by fantastical claims of a stolen election; escalating conflict over voting rights, one of the basic pillars of a democratic society; and deepening partisanship and polarization over the basics of public health in a devastating global pandemic.

Recent polls indicate that a majority of Americans believe that democracy in the United States is in crisis. What aspects of our democracy remain under threat? Are there areas where the drift toward democratic backsliding has halted, or even reversed? We invite you to join us for a discussion that will focus on critical sources of both vulnerability and resilience for American democracy. Register now!

Moderator:
E. J. Dionne (The Washington Post)

Panelists:
Carol Anderson (Emory University)
Frances Lee (Princeton University)
Lilliana Mason (Johns Hopkins University)

This event is the first in our webinar series, Democracy in the Balance: Vulnerability, Resilience, and Reform, sponsored by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and the American Democracy Collaborative. These three panels will assess the state of American democracy and evaluate prospects for its reform and renewal, based on the latest evidence and insights from political and social science.

What is it like to move from the cloisters of academia to the high-profile sector of global markets and monetary policy? In his new book, Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington DC, (Simon & Schuster India, 2021)

Economist Kaushik Basu chronicles the years he spent working in the frenetic world of economic policymaking, first as chief economic advisor to the Indian government and later as the chief economist at the World Bank. In a live, virtual, Chats in the Stacks talk, Basu will discuss how he documented his day-to-day experiences over seven years of high-level, international economic policy work and share what he learned during that time.

Sponsored by Mann Library, the talk is followed by a live Q&A.

Basu is Cornell’s Carl Marks Professor of International Studies and a professor of economics. A former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank, from 2017 to 2021 he served as president of the International Economic Association and he was chief economic adviser to the Indian government from 2009 to 2012.

Dial-In Information

Please register through the following link:

https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OOBc_FOKSravdzhWeK3k3A

Prof. Nicholas Mulder provides a history of the interwar origins of economic sanctions, showing how they reconfigured international affairs by enabling distant coercion against civilian societies in peacetime. Based on wartime blockade practices, the instrument of sanctions offered a novel way to prevent war.

This presentation is based on his first book, The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War, recently published in January 2022 by Yale University Press.

About the speaker

Nicholas Mulder is an Assistant Professor of History at Cornell University. He works on European and international history from 1870 to the present. His research focuses on political, economic, and intellectual history, with particular attention to the era of the world wars between 1914 and 1945.

This seminar is part of the spring seminar series with the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS).

Issues in African Development Seminar Series examines critical concerns in contemporary Africa using a different theme each semester. The seminars provide a forum for participants to explore alternative perspectives and exchange ideas. They are also a focal activity for students and faculty interested in African development. In addition, prepares students for higher level courses on African economic, social and political development. The presentations are designed for students who are interested in development, Africa’s place in global studies, want to know about the peoples, cultures and societies that call Africa home, and explore development theories and alternate viewpoints on development.

Speaker details here

Zoom registration link here