Burning societal issues such a freedom of speech, protecting women from sexual assault and the policing of the pandemic will be explored in a two-day festival in November when an array of fascinating researchers will address the topic of freedom.
Feelings of Freedom will see experts from a range of academic backgrounds convene for one of the first major events at the newly reopened Warwick Arts Centre to discuss some of society’s most pressing and widespread issues in 11 TED-style talks as part of Resonate Festival, the University of Warwick’s year-long programme of events for Coventry City of Culture.
The collection of debates, films, and interviews that will be featured on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 has been curated in collaboration with the Warwick Arts Centre to be exciting and accessible to non-academic audiences and relevant across multiple generations as part of the Resonate Festival and Coventry City of Culture 2021.
The programme of expert speakers and thinkers will challenge common thinking and beliefs to re-examine how freedom is understood and address its value – or cost.
Festival highlights include talks on freedom of speech and no-platforming, the policing of the pandemic to trust in government and fake news in ancient Greece. Other themes range from local women resistance fighters in WW II to human trafficking and slavery to ways of protecting women from sexual assault.
Professor Michael Tildesley, a specialist in modelling the spread of diseases, who has appeared on TV and radio frequently throughout the pandemic, will discuss how and why the government made certain decisions in response to Covid-19 and examine how we have all affected its strategy in a talk titled Decision Making During the Pandemic and How our Behaviour Influences the Effectiveness of Policy.
The historian and presenter Michael Scott will track a key issue today back to an ancient civilisation as he asks Was Fake News a Problem in Ancient Athens?
Professor Victor Tadros will address the topic of freedom of speech and no-platforming – a charged topic of conversation on campuses across the UK – in Freedom of Speech: Why people with Offensive Views Might Have an Especially Strong Right to a Platform.
Professor Jackie Hodgson, who has organised and curated the festival in conjunction with Doreen Foster, Director of the Warwick Arts Centre, will explore how different people have experienced policing of the pandemic and how they are regaining their freedom in her talk, public photographic project and film, Emerging from Lockdown.
She said: “The speakers who will be joining us for Feelings of Freedom bring to the table a wide variety of research interests and personal experiences around the subject of freedom.
“The talks will be enlightening and engaging for both the public and for academics who are addressing these issues in their work.
“We are fortunate to have some highly regarded researchers and faculty members joining us across the two days including Michael Tildesley and Michael Scott, as well as a vibrant collection of other scholars with a range of backgrounds.
“We hope that people across the city will join us in their year as City of Culture for an eclectic mix of lively presentations on everything from human rights and free trade to censorship and space travel.”
Other key talks taking place as part of Feelings of Freedom include Dr Kirsten Harris discussing Freedom in Utopia: What Might Freedom Mean in an Ideal Society and Does Freedom Mean More Than Escaping Oppression?
Alison Porter will deliver a talk on The Boyfriend Trick: Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking are Happening in Plain Sight, while Jessica Wardhaugh will discuss Living with Danger: Women and Resistance.
Dr Jessica Bell will address Freedom in the Digital Era while Prof Katherine Astbury discusses The Ancestors: What Lengths Will We Go to Be Free? This talk will include extracts from brand-new play The Ancestors by Lakesha Arie Angelo based on Warwick research into prisoners of war from the Caribbean held in Britain during the French Revolution.
David Vitale asks the question Can We Trust Our Government to Take Care of Us? And Puja Laporte will deliver a talk entitled We Act for Change: To Live in a World Without the Fear of Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, and Violence.
For tickets and further information visit https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/news-and-blog/feelings-of-freedom-festival/
For more information about the University of Warwick’s Resonate Festival visit https://www.resonatefestival.co.uk/ warwick.ac.uk/about/cityofculture/get-involved/programme