2018 Presidential Theme: #States of Insecurity
The presidential theme of the 2018 MLA convention is #States of Insecurity, which I hope will inspire thoughtful and productive conversations at our meeting in New York.
Human beings have long lived, told stories, danced, cried, written, made art, learned, taught, debated, and theorized in moments of insecurity caused by events as varied as war, plague, famine, conquest, and enslavement. States of insecurity, in fact, have animated some of our most enduring cultural productions and informed our values.
This theme invites reflection on how our intellectual, artistic, and pedagogical work in the humanities offers strategies for navigating the crises of our time: political volatility, fluctuating financial markets, fear-mongering media, and increasingly hateful acts and rhetoric that contribute to a general sense of malaise. #States of Insecurity asks those in the academy to draw from their experiences to identify and denaturalize the elements that contribute to states of insecurity. How can faculty members, administrators, students, and staff members strengthen our institutions; reaffirm the value of open inquiry and dialogue; and secure academic access and freedom for all, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, and immigration status? We can begin by reexamining our own epistemologies, disciplines, technologies, and organizational and governing structures. What does the pursuit of knowledge mean when students are indebted and faculty members lack job security? How do we conduct research in a political and media climate in which facts don’t matter?
The academy cannot be separate from the political, economic, and ideological turmoil of our time: #States of Insecurity calls on academia to uphold its commitment to critical and historical reflection, inquiry, and intervention.
I look forward to seeing the ways in which MLA members reflect on this theme at the New York convention and hope that you will join us there!
Diana Taylor