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    JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times Conference poster

    Fall Conference 2025
    “JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times”

    October 16 – 17

    Read More Here
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    “I've begun so late, really only in recent years, to truly love the world ... Out of gratitude, I want to call my book on political theories Amor Mundi.”

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    Hannah Arendt

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Our Conferences

Friday, October 31, 2025

We're Looking for your Feedback!

Take our JOY Conference Survey
Online Event  Whether you attended our JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times conference for a panel or stayed for the day, we'd love to hear more about your experience of this year's conference. Please fill out our brief, anonymous survey and help us get to know you better!

Did you know? So far... 66.7% of survey respondents attended in person 83.3% of survey respondents attended our conference both days 45.8% of survey respondents said it was their 1st HAC conference and 8.3% said it was their 5th or more 75% of survey respondents learned of the conference through our weekly newsletterWere you there? Did you watch the livestream? Tell us more!

Take the survey! 
More about the Conference

The Annual Conference: What it's All About

Bold and Provocative Thinking.
Together.

Every year, students, thinkers, artists, writers gather at Bard College's Annandale campus for two days of exploration into a pressing contemporary issue. Our aim is to bring together speakers from diverse careers to think together - and often to disagree- in public. 

Our Conferences

The Center's annual conferences are known for bringing together speakers from diverse careers to think in public about the most important issues of our time. Previous conferences have explored the economic crisis, education, surveillance, and privacy. In conjunction with the conference, the center sponsors an annual student competition and a student debate. 

  • Conference Video
    View video playlists of past conferences on our YouTube channel.


    View Video Playlists
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    Past Conferences
    Citizenship and Civil Disobedience
    took place at Bard College on
    Thursday, Oct. 11 and Friday, Oct. 12, 2018

    Past Conferences
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PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
845-758-7878
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