Humanities Book Club: Farah Karim-Cooper
Schedule
Thu, 12 Mar, 2026 at 05:30 pm
UTC-05:00Location
900 Sunnyside Ave, Lawrence, KS 66045-7622, United States | Lawrence, KS
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🗓️ Thursday, March 12⏰ 5:30 PM
đź“ŤHall Center Conference Hall
Pick up your books today!
The Hall Center will provide a limited number of free copies of 'The Great White Bard' to be read prior to the event by those who wish to attend and participate in the discussion. Interested participants should stop by the Hall Center or email [email protected] while supplies last. An interdisciplinary panel of speakers will lead the discussion.
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As monuments of white Western history fall, many are asking: how is Shakespeare still relevant? In "The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race," Farah Karim-Cooper explains how the playwright came to occupy such an elevated place in the Western canon and what gained by questioning his plays rather than accepting them at face value.
Karim-Cooper examines race in Shakespeare’s plays through close readings of works such as "Antony and Cleopatra" and "The Tempest," alongside a reappraisal of society in Elizabethan London. She argues that Shakespeare should neither be idealized nor discarded, but read with attention to the discomforts in his language and theatrical culture. As The New York Times writes, “'The Great White Bard' contributes to an essential discussion on Shakespeare and race.” By opening the plays to new perspectives, the book makes space for debate and reinterpretation, and for a Shakespeare who can still speak to the present.
Farah Karim-Cooper is the 8th Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. and a leading Shakespeare scholar. Prior to joining the Folger, Dr. Karim-Cooper was Professor of Shakespeare Studies, King’s College London, and Director of Education (Higher Education & Research) at Shakespeare’s Globe, where she worked for 20 years. "The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race (2023)" was named one of the best books of the year by Time Magazine, NPR, and The New Yorker.. Her most recent book, All the World’s Your Stage: Shakespeare for Today is written especially for children ages 9-12.
https://calendar.ku.edu/event/humanities-book-club-farah-karim-cooper
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Where is it happening?
900 Sunnyside Ave, Lawrence, KS 66045-7622, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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