The Underground Railroad once ran through Portland, not far from the 杏吧传媒. More than 150 years later, the community is still talking about emancipation. But what does it mean in today鈥檚 world?
Dr. William Paris explored that question as guest speaker at the annual Louden Family Lecture, hosted by USM鈥檚 Philosophy Department. He鈥檚 an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto. Paris delivered his lecture, titled 鈥淭he Antinomies of Self-Emancipation,鈥� on October 16 at Glickman Library in Portland.
The title is historically minded. 鈥淓mancipation鈥� evokes the struggle against slavery better than a more generalized word like 鈥渇reedom.鈥� Paris used that language to show how class and wealth disparities are intertwined with racial inequity across generations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about individual groups emancipating themselves. It鈥檚 about creating a freer society for everyone,鈥� Paris said. 鈥淚t cannot just be up to one group saying, 鈥楾his is what counts as freedom.鈥欌��
Paris reasoned that emancipation must be achieved by the people who live under domination, rather than being granted by the people in the dominant position. Those seeking change need to first educate themselves about the structural biases in society. Awareness will inform the actions needed to dismantle those structures.
Many of history鈥檚 great thinkers guided Paris in forming his message. He namechecked Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, Lev Vygotsky, Frantz Fanon, W.E.B Du Bois, and more as he explained the lessons he took from each of them.
For Katie Schools, attending the lecture was like hearing a rock band play their hits. She was already familiar with Paris鈥� ideas from his podcast, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Left of Philosophy?鈥� She was happy for the opportunity to join the conversation that she had only previously observed as a silent listener.
Schools graduated from USM in 2023 with a Philosophy degree. She talked with Paris about his assertion that the topic at hand needed to move beyond academic settings to galvanize lasting societal change. Schools saw a connection to her work as a Community Outreach Organizer at USM鈥檚 Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education.
鈥淲e do a lot of popular education and education for the community,鈥� Schools said. 鈥淲e try to take really high and lofty ideas and make the digestible to the general public. I鈥檓 trying to act that out every day. That鈥檚 something I see as really important.鈥�
Questions from the audience came tentatively at first. One of the first to break the ice was Dr. Robert Louden, the retired Philosophy professor whose donation to USM funded the lecture series that bears his name. His example encouraged others around him to ask their questions as well.
There鈥檚 a wariness that Paris often sees in his audiences to offer opinions on matters of race. He understands their caution but knows that progress depends on opening the lines of dialogue. He uses humor to get them to lower their guard.
鈥淚 try to create the space where we can have these discussions and it鈥檚 not immediately adversarial or combative,鈥� Paris said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the way to have the most generative type of Q&A. If people can feel like they鈥檙e comfortable with me, they can ask me questions.鈥�
The audience responded to his humor by turning it back on him. What started as a question from the crowd detoured into a joke about French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre that drew a wave of laughter.
Paris complimented the audience for both their willingness to ask questions as well as the thrust of their questions. He appreciated how they tested his ideas to see if they would hold up in different cultural contexts. For those seeking more food for thought, Paris offered up his book, 鈥淩ace, Time, and Utopia: Critical Theory and the Process of Emancipation.鈥�
Paris鈥� ability to make complex concepts more digestible was key to his selection for the Louden Lecture. The series was conceived as a forum for anyone who is curious to learn more about philosophy, not just experts in the field. On that score, Paris鈥� talk was judged a success by Dr. Jason Read, Chair of Philosophy and Liberal Studies-Humanities at USM.
鈥淎 university should be a resource for the students, but also a resource for its public,鈥� said Read. 鈥淧ortland being a very well-read city, a city interested in ideas, I would like to see more crossover. . .of things from the city coming into (campus), and more of USM being known to the city. But it鈥檚 an ongoing project.鈥�