Autonomies: A Student-Led Speaker Series
For questions, please email Jana Mader, Director of Academic Programs at [email protected]
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About AutonomiesThis student-led speaker series confronts the present moment as a crisis of autonomy. Cries for self-determination and self-governance have never been as vocal as they are today. At the same time, infringements on political, legal, and bodily autonomy seem to form the persistent backdrop for a culture of curated individualism and the search for collective forms. Autonomies proposes that autonomy exists in the plural; autonomy not as individualism but as community care, as collective resistance against discrimination and marginalization. It highlights contemporary social movements, amplifies voices outside of the academy, and realizes spaces for action. Every year, a group of Hannah Arendt Center fellows organizes events on a specific topic; the events take place in the Spring semester.
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2024: Community ResilienceWe chose the theme of community resilience in the interest of inspiring the college’s student body to be active political agents, especially in the face of recent devastating events that have deprived individuals of hope and feelings of community. We hope to discuss methods of political participation that go beyond voting, and extend into the realms of arts, poetry, and unions. We want this series to encourage students to believe in the agency of the individual in relation to the state and emphasize the importance of, as well as truly foster, community engagement with current political issues leading up to the 2024 elections.
Past themes include “Reproductive Justice” You can see all past events on our
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Lauren MendozaLauren is a second year student who was drawn to Bard because of its promise to allow students to explore all of their interests through its liberal arts education. The curriculum's flexibility has led her to joint major in Physics and Philosophy, and the Hannah Arendt Center allows her to explore her more philosophical interests alongside fellow academics with the same interests as her. She works with the Arendt Center now to give others the space to do the same. In her free time, Lauren loves to crochet, play video games, read and weightlift. -
Nick FranceschiNick is a sophomore hoping to double-major in music and critical theory. He was born and raised in South Tyrol, a European province with a complex history of oppression, discrimination and ethnic hate. Having to negotiate between the different socio-cultural and linguistic environments at home and at school, Nick developed early on a sensitivity to injustice and marginalization. He is among the founders of "Radici Resilienti", a student-let organization in Trieste, Italy, aimed at welcoming and aiding refugees, and has worked for Doctors Without Borders in Berlin, Germany, in the sections of fundraising and advocacy. Nick prides himself on being among the founders and leaders of "Homophobie Ist Keine Meinung", a South Tyrolean youth organization fighting queerphobic hate speech in local media. In his free time, Nick loves reading, walking, and watching queer sci-fi shows. -
Maggie HoughMaggie is a senior at Bard College majoring in Classical Studies. Her work at the Hannah Arendt Center began in 2021 with an interest in the question of how we can seek to embrace plurality in our society as a source of progression, rather than a road block, and her interest in politics and the work of Hannah Arendt has only expanded since then. During her time at Bard she has served as a member of the Peer Review Board, a member of the Classics and Philosophy Club, contributed as a translator to Sui Generis, and directed an outdoor production of The Tempest. She is now working on a senior project influenced by Hannah Arendt’s The Life of the Mind. Beyond her academic pursuits, Maggie enjoys hiking, photography, hosting and attending dinner parties, and going to museums.
