#laughtivism

Srdja Popovic is one of the founding members of the Serbian non-violent resistance movement Otpor!, which was instrumental in toppling the regime of former Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. He is also a co-founder of the Centre for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS), an NGO in Belgrade that trains pro-democracy activists around the world, both in person and through online courses such as “Leading Nonviolent Movements for Social Progress.”

In 2015, Popovic published Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World, which reads like a how-to guide for staging your own nonviolent resistance movement. The book has received acclaim for its paradoxically serious humor—perhaps best articulated in a review from the Boston Globe: “By the end of 'Blueprint,' the idea that a punch is no match for a punch line feels like anything but a joke.”

Indeed, if funny, the methods that Popovic describes are in no way a joke. The creative techniques of nonviolent resistance developed by Otpor! and disseminated though the work of CANVAS have been adopted by resistance movements around the world. Named “the secret architect of the global revolution” by The Guardian, Popovic will offer a workshop on “Tactics and Strategies of Non-Violent Struggle,” drawing off his experiences working with resistance movements around the globe.

CAHI presents "Laughtivism: The Power of Political Satire Today" -- Friday, March 2, 7:30pm, Fine Arts Auditorium (FA 015)

The College Arts & Humanities Institute is delighted to host a discussion with Serbian activist Srdja Popovic and acclaimed scholar Sophia McClennen on the contemporary power and functions of political satire. 

In a political climate in which sensitive news stories and entire media outlets are frequently denounced as “fake news,” political satire in the U.S. and around the world has been gaining prominence. Together, McClennen and Popovic will share their perspectives on the power of satire as a force for fostering critical citizenship and challenging the status quo. 

Earlier on Friday, at 10am, Popovic will offer a workshop on “Tactics and Strategies of Non-Violent Struggle” (GISB Auditorium, GA 0001) that draws on his experiences working with resistance movements around the world. He will also answer questions and speak about the Centre for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS), of which he is co-director. 

On Thursday, March 1, Professor McClennen will give a lecture on “What Can Latin American Cinema Teach Us about Globalization?” (4pm, Oak Room, IMU) as part of First Thursday. Her talk addresses the issues that she discusses in her forthcoming book, Globalization and Latin American Cinema: Towards a New Critical Paradigm. 

Srdja Popovic is one of the founding members of the Serbian non-violent resistance movement Otpor!, which was instrumental in toppling Slobodan Milosevic’s regime, and the Centre for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS), an NGO in Belgrade that trains pro-democracy activists around the world, both in person and through online courses such as “Leading Nonviolent Movements for Social Progress.” Popovic is author of Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World. 

Sophia McClennen is Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature at Penn State University, and founding director of Penn State’s Center for Global Studies. She has written two books on satire and U.S. politics and media: Colbert’s America: Satire and Democracy and Is Satire Saving Our Nation?: Mockery and American Politics (co-authored with Remy Maisel). She has written extensively on questions of human rights and terrorism, and is co-author (with Jeffrey Di Leo, Henry Giroux, and Kenneth Saltman) of Neoliberalism, Education, Terrorism: Contemporary Dialogues, and co-editor (with Alexandra Schultheis Moore) of The Routledge Companion to Human Rights and Literature. 

These events are presented by the College Arts & Humanities Institute and co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), the Political and Civic Engagement Program (PACE), the Media School, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Department of Political Science, the Russian and East European Institute, and the Indiana Memorial Union Board.

via @arnocast