Distinguished scholar to speak on diversity in literature, contemporary fiction Oct. 4 at Ripon College

RIPON, Wisconsin – Diverse characters in literature often impact how society perceives the way race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality matter in the world. This is one key message in an upcoming presentation, “The Difference Literature Makes: Dark Aesthetics in Contemporary Fiction,” by Paula M. L. Moya, Danily C. and Laura Louise Bell Professor of the Humanities and Professor of English at Stanford University, on Friday, Oct. 4 at Ripon College.

The presentation, both free and open to the public, will be in Kresge Little Theatre, East Hall 101, on campus at 4:15 p.m. Sponsoring the event is the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Ripon College.

Moya has written many books about the effect diversity has on literature. Her most recent book, “The Social Imperative: Race, Close Reading, and Contemporary Literary Criticism,” provides insight into how characters in literature help society navigate a diverse and contemporary world made of people from all different backgrounds.

She is also the author of “Learning From Experience: Minority Identities, Multicultural Struggles” and has co-edited three collections of original essays – “Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century,” “Identity Politics Reconsidered” and “Reclaiming Identity: Realist Theory and the Predicament of Postmodernism.”

Themes from her most recent book will be incorporated into the talk, as will how minority or subjugated perspectives have emerged in recent fiction. This development is growing especially among writers and critics of color, a concept Moya refers to as “dark aesthetics.”

This presentation is part of the $150,000 Humanities Initiatives for Colleges and Universities grant from the NEH that was awarded to Ripon College in 2023. The three-year project is focused on strengthening humanities education at Ripon College, led by Professor of History Brian Bockelman.

“Dr. Moya is a leading scholar on why literature is still so important to study today,” Bockelman said. “New generations of students and faculty should be interested in what’s going on in literature today and how it matters for our understanding of the world.”

About Ripon College: Ripon College prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Our liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation.

Posted September 30, 2024 in Diversity, Special Event.

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