Shows
Think About ItBook Talk 61: Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Threats to Democracy and H.L. Mencken’s "Notes on Democracy"A century ago, journalist H. L. Mencken provocatively stated in Notes On Democracy (new edition by Warbler Press, 2023) that anti-democratic behavior is not only not shocking but that we should in fact expect democracies to give rise to un- and even anti-democratic forces. Mencken doubted that such the evils of democracy will be cured by more democracy, which usually means elections and ‘fostering democratic norms and behaviors. So what is to be done?I spoke with NYU Professor and political commentator Ruth Ben-Ghiat on the current threats to democracy posed by populism, the media’s role in shaping...2023-12-0957 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 38: Ricardo Alberto MaldonadoRicardo Alberto Maldonado is a poet residing in New York City who was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His first collection of poems, The Life Assignment, was a finalist for the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award. He is the executive director and president of the Academy of American Poets, a leading nonprofit that established April as National Poetry Month and brings verse to a wide audience through its Poem-a-Day series with more than 330,000 daily subscribers. The Academy also awards more than $1.3 million a year to hundreds of writers.Maldonado will be the or...2023-07-0157 minProust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 37: Dame Zandra Rhodes, Fashion DesignerDame Zandra Rhodes is an English fashion and textile designer who has designed garments for Diana, Princess of Wales and numerous celebrities such as rock stars Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan. In 2003, she founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Her signature, recognizable design aesthetic has left an indelible mark on the history of fashion.In 2019, Rhodes celebrated her 50th year as a legendary figurehead of British fashion with a retrospective exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum titled “Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous,” and a book published by Yale University Press. Over the course of her gro...2022-10-2437 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 36: Haaz Sleiman, ActorHaaz Sleiman (هاز سليمان) is a Lebanese actor who has appeared as Tarek in Tom McCarthy’s 2007 award-winning film The Visitor, for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and the role of Jesus in the American TV mini-series Killing Jesus. He’s also appeared alongside Edie Falco and Anna Deavere Smith (guest on The Proust Questionnaire) in the hit show Nurse Jackie, and stars in Chloe Zhao’s 2021 blockbuster Eternals, where he plays (spoiler alert!) the path-breaking role of Ben, the husband of superhero Phastos as the first wonderful, compelling, and courageous same-sex couple in the Marvel universe. 2021-12-3059 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 35: Calvin Sun, Emergency Physician, World Traveler: Monsoon DiariesThe Proust Questionnaire hosts individuals who make a difference in various ways. Meet Calvin D. Sun, M.D., an emergency room physician who's worked at several of New York City's major hospitals all throughout Covid. He was a frequent frontline contributor to CNN and other major news programs for Covid-related news. His daily account of helping people during this harrowing time is forthcoming as Covid Diaries by a major publisher. Calvin is also known as a travel convener who's visited 190 countries on a student budget and brings together people for sustainable and ethical travel at monsoondiaries.com. As the F...2021-07-091h 06
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 34: Kasi Lemmons, Film DirectorKasi Lemmons is an award-winning director, writer, actress and professor who has been a staple in Hollywood for nearly three decades. Her acclaimed 1997 feature directorial debut, “Eve’s Bayou, was inducted into the National Film Registry, and is considered among the first to showcase the beauty of African American Southern culture. The film received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and the National Board of Review bestowed her with a special first-time director award. “Eve’s Bayou” marked Samuel L. Jackson’s debut as a film producer and helped launch the careers of actresses Megan Good and Jurnee Smoll...2021-03-1357 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 33: Cécile David-Weill, NovelistCécile David-Weill is a French American author who is born and based in New York. She published her first novel Crush (Grove Press, 1997) under the name of Cécile de la Baume. Her next two novels are wickedly funny comedies of manners set in glamorous French locales.The first, Femme de… ( in French, Grasset), follows three senior executives and their wives on a weekend corporate retreat in a luxurious hotel off season in La Baule, a beach resort in West of France, and offers a satirical take on both professional ambition and married life. The Suit...2021-01-2857 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 32: Daniel Kehlmann, NovelistDaniel Kehlmann is a German-language novelist and playwright of both Austrian and German nationality. His novel Die Vermessung der Welt (translated into English by Carol Brown Janeway as Measuring the World, 2006) is the best selling book in the German language since Patrick Süskind's Perfume was released in 1985. According to The New York Times, it was the world's second-best selling novel in 2006.All his subsequent novels reached the number one spot on Germany's Spiegel bestseller list and were translated into English. He collaborated with Jonathan Franzen and Paul Reitter on Franzen's 2013 book The Kraus Project. Kehlmann's play T...2020-12-301h 02
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 31: Maurice Samuels, HistorianMaurice Samuels is the author of several books: The Spectacular Past: Popular History and the Novel in Nineteenth-Century France; Inventing the Israelite: Jewish Fiction in Nineteenth-Century France; The Right to Difference: French Universalism and the Jews, and The Betrayal of the Duchess, a study of France’s first antisemitic affair. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he directs Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism and Judaic Studies Program.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the hos...2020-12-1351 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 30: Ori Gersht, PhotographerExploding flower arrangements, meticulously staged scenes of beautiful destruction, haunted landscapes, still lives brought to their sublime end as if a host of angels unfolded their terrible wings just a bit too close.... Ori Gersht's photographs are unlike anything you've seen before. Gersht was born in Israel in 1967, but has lived in London for over 30 years. His photographs, films and books are concerned with the relationships between history, memory and landscape - and they are stunning.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, l...2020-11-251h 19
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 29: Elliot Ackerman and Lea Carpenter, NovelistsToday's we're speaking to a married couple, both esteemed novelists. Elliot Ackerman is the author of the novels 2034: A Novel of the Next World War, Red Dress In Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, and the memoir Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning. Lea Carpenter is the author of the novels Eleven Days, and Red, White, Blue, and the screenplay for Mile 22, the 2018 film directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches lite...2020-11-181h 28
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 28: Samantha Boardman, PsychiatristSamantha Boardman, MD, is a psychiatrist and a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Assistant Attending Psychiatrist at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City. In her private practice as well as in her blog, www.PositivePrescription.com, and her forthcoming book, Everyday Strong, Samantha’s focus is not on mental illness but on mental wellness: on practical strategies for enhancing wellbeing and cultivating resilience in the face of life’s daily challenges.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also...2020-11-031h 01
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 27: Alice Wu, FilmmakerAlice Wu's debut feature, Saving Face, is a three-generation romantic comedy set in today's Chinatown in Queens, New York. Wu won the Visionary Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival for her feature. In 2020 Netflix released her new feature, The Half of It, which won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and othe...2020-10-231h 15
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 26: Miranda Penn Turin, PhotographerMiranda Penn Turin is a freelance photographer and director who has been specializing in portraiture, fashion and beauty for over thirty years. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts and splits her time between New York and LA - she shoots all over the world and is grateful to have the best crew on the planet. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in creative writing, but her passion for photography overrode her major. Miranda's intention when she shoots is to reveal the epic, whatever the subject. She is also working with Voices4Freedom, a h...2020-10-221h 06
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 25: Jeremy Harris, PlaywrightJeremy O. Harris is an American actor and playwright, known for his plays Daddy and Slave Play. He was the winner of the 2018 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, given by the Vineyard Theatre in New York City. A profile in the New York Times said that Harris's "ability to render subconscious trauma into provocative theatrical expression, as potentially unsettling as entertaining, has earned him a lot of attention in a very short time."[1]Out called him "The queer black savior the theater world needs."Harris is a co-author on the screenplay for the forthcoming film Zola, directed by Janicza B...2020-09-1947 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 24: Christine Coulson, WriterWhat happens in museum when the crowds have gone?Christine Coulson's exquisite book, Metropolitan Stories, imagines the inner lives of the artworks and precious objects that tell us so much about the past, the present but also our human future, while enduring stoically the millions of museum visitors' inquisitive, appreciative or indifferent gazes.Christine was a senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum where she worked for over 25 years before becoming a full-time writer. The book is a love letter to the greatest temple to art in the United States, and an invitation for all of...2020-08-311h 25Think About ItGreat Books 35: Susan Weisser on Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre"Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre is one of the great love stories of all time, but it's also the story of a woman who speaks her truth even when this means risking everything she wants. Jane, an orphan raised in a cruel family and struggling to survive in a world where poor women have few chances, falls in love with dashing and mysterious Mr. Rochester, the owner of the estate where she finds a job. A secret in his part forces Jane to chose between compromising her integrity or giving up on him, until dramatic circumstances and her c...2020-08-271h 17
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 23: Sameh Zoabi, Filmmaker/DirectorSameh Zoabi is a Palestinian filmmaker who was born and raised in Israel. His feature film, Tel Aviv on Fire, chronicles the making of a daytime soap opera in contemporary Israel. It is a comedy-drama satire directed by Zoabi and co-written by Zoabi and Dan Kleinman. The film premiered internationally at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, where Kais Nashef won the Best Actor award. It won Best Film and Best Screenplay awards at the Haifa International Film Festival.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about...2020-08-221h 07
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 22: Miriam Bridenne, BooksellerMiriam Bridenne is the Deputy Director of Albertine Books, the French bookstore housed in the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City. Prior to coming to Albertine, Miriam worked in publishing for almost twenty years. She co-leads Albertine’s popular French Book Club and regularly makes reading recommendations on the store’s popular blog. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Pre...2020-08-1848 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 21: Hugh Evans, HumanitarianHugh Evans is an Australian humanitarian, co-founder of both The Oaktree Foundation and Global Citizen, a Global Poverty Project. At 14, Evans spent the night in a Manila slum. The harsh realities of his hosts’ lives motivated him to challenge the status quo of extreme poverty. He has received domestic and international accolades for his work in promoting youth advocacy and volunteerism in order to reduce extreme poverty in developing countries.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the...2020-08-1547 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 20: Maira Kalman, ArtistMaira Kalman was born in Tel Aviv and moved to New York with her family at the age of four. She was raised in bucolic Riverdale, the Bronx. Maira has written and illustrated Eighteen children’s books, including Ooh-la-la-Max in Love, What Pete Ate, 13 WORDS, a collaboration with Lemony Snicket, Why We Broke Up, with Daniel Handler, and the Pursuit of Everything and more. She is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker Magazine, and is well known for her collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz on the “New Yorkistan” cover in 2001 and “The New York City Sub-Culinary Map...2020-08-1141 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 19: Seph Rodney, Writer/EditorDeeply informed, passionately committed and always invested in the truth, Seph Rodney's writings about art and culture have earned him a broad following among those who like their criticism not to soothe and tranquilize but to invigorate the mind, eyes, ears, and soul. Rodney is a staff writer and editor for Hyperallergic and has published a book, The Personalization of the Museum Visit, in 2019. In 2020 he was awarded the Rabkin Arts Journalism Prize. Find him at sephrodney.com.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about pho...2020-08-081h 19
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 18: Anna Condo, ArtistAnna is a French director and photographer who was born in Armenia and now lives in New York City. A trained actor and film director, in 1998 she published her first book “AH Allen,” a powerful tribute to her friend and poet Allen Ginsberg. Since 2013, Anna has been focusing on flower photography which have been exhibited internationally and won her wide acclaim.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and edito...2020-08-0450 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 17: Etgar Keret, Writer/FilmmakerEtgar Keret is a globally celebrated author and filmmaker who exposes the absurdity of daily life in our modern world, and through a Kafkaesque lens remind us that things ought to be better. Fly Already (2019) was rewarded with the 2019 National Jewish Book Award, and Jellyfish won in 2007 the Camera d'Or at Cannes. Keret’s unforgettable, heart-shattering and funny stories make us see that things should be otherwise and, in spite of historical and political roadblocks, can become better.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about pho...2020-08-011h 09
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 16: Sarah McNally, BooksellerSarah McNally is the founder and owner of three windows into the world of letters in New York City: the McNally bookstores, renowned not only in NYC but around the country and world for independent, well-curated, smart bookselling. We spoke with Sarah during the lockdown of New York City to find out what she cares about and values, and also to speak with one of our personal heroines: someone who comes from a family of booksellers and keeps the great tradition of independent bookstores alive today. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he te...2020-07-281h 04
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 15: Omar Victor Diop, PhotographerOmar Victor Diop is a Senegalese photographer whose historical auto-portraits, where he places himself in settings and poses previously occupied by historical figures, have been exhibited around the world. Born in Dakar in 1980, Diop developed an interest in photography and design as a means to capture the diversity of modern African societies and lifestyles.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a...2020-07-2550 minThink About ItGreat Books 34: Vivek Chibber on Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto"Marx has never left us. In our era of populism, political polarization, and the pandemic, concerns central to Marx such as economic inequality, the consolidation of power in the hands of the few, and the fate of workers are urgently discussed. How should we think about Marx today? I spoke with Professor Vivek Chibber at NYU who has published Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital (Verso, 2013), and Locked in Place: State-Building and Late Industrialization in India (Princeton, 2003).Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Hu...2020-07-241h 00
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 14: Sarah Meyohas, ArtistSarah Meyohas is a French-American conceptual artist working across media and emerging technologies. Artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, the stock market, virtual reality, and augmented reality are materials she molds into visions of beauty, bringing the concept of value into focus. Meyohas inserts subjectivity into the mechanized, creating performative situations out of which artworks emerge as reflections. She has had solo exhibitions in New York at Red Bull Arts and 303 Gallery. Her work has travelled to institutions including the Barbican in London, the Jameel Arts Center in Dubai, the Ming Contemporary Art Museum in Shanghai, and the New Museum in New York. She has...2020-07-2153 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 13: Rowan Ricardo Phillips, PoetRowan Ricardo Phillips is a poet, writer and literary and art critic - and sports writer! - who was born and raised in New York City. He is the author of the poetry collections The Ground (2012), Heaven (2015; a finalist for the National Book Award), and Living Weapon (2019). In addition to his collections of poetry, Phillips is author of the critical volume When Blackness Rhymes with Blackness (2010) where Uli has hosted him on his podcast on Great Books to talk about Phillis Wheatley, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and African American poetry in general. He translated Salvador Espriu’s story collec...2020-07-181h 02
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 12: Maaza Mengiste, NovelistMaaza Mengiste is an Ethiopian-born American novelist whose two books, The Shadow King (2019) and Beneath the Lion's Gaze (2010), have been greeted with high praise and much critical acclaim. Giving resonant voice to women and men caught up in the ravages of colonialism and war but also uplifted by hope and desire, Mengiste plumbs the archival depths to weave tales that imagine anew our entangled pasts and envision a future for our global age.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other s...2020-07-141h 07
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 11: Youssef Nabil, ArtistYoussef Nabil is a photographer and filmmaker who combines the artistic and cultural traditions of his native Egypt and his adopted homes of New York City and Paris to create exquisitely conceived images. An example of this, is his last film I Saved My Belly Dancer (2015) with Salma Hayek and Tahar Rahim. By blending Occident and Orient in mutually empowering ways, Nabil’s photographs and films open our eyes to a forward-looking global vista where we can see ourselves reflected and improved.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and...2020-07-0931 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 10: Sophia Chang, Writer/ProducerSophia Chang has been the manager for several musical acts that have broken boundaries and continue to define our times, including D’Angelo, the RZA of the Wu Tang Clan, and others. As a Korean-Canadian woman, being "The Baddest Bitch in the Room" is for Chang not a choice but a moral necessity. Chang charts with laser-sharp focus and zen-like humility a blazing trail for those whose voices, bodies, and minds had been for too long denied entry to recording studios and hallowed halls of power.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he tea...2020-07-091h 02
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 9: Robert Couturier, Architect/Interior DesignerRobert Couturier is one of the most prestigious interior designers. His name has been included in Architectural Digest’s annual list of the best decorators and architects in the world, and has become synonymous with continental and international style. He made design history in 1987 when conceived of and executed a 20,000-acre kingdom on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and has designed countless stunning residences since. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast...2020-07-051h 22
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 8: Pamela Sneed, PoetPamela Sneed is a poet, performance artist, and the author of several books: Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom than of Slavery KONG And Other Works (Vintage Entity Press, 2009) and the chapbook, Lincoln (2014). Her poems and monologues have been anthologized in The 100 Best African American Poems, edited by Nikki Giovanni. Recent publications include work in Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays, and Future Perfect, and the forthcoming Funeral Diva. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the hos...2020-07-051h 00
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 7: Pietra Parker and Miss Cookie Doug, Drag Queens, Artists & PerformersHAPPY PRIDE!!! For this extra special pride 2020 episode we had the pleasure to speak with two New York based Brazilians Drag Queens, PIETRA PARKER & MISS COOKIE DOUG! These two influential talents answer 35 questions first popularized by Marcel Proust and share personal experiences about their lives and reveal what goes inside their creative mind.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a spe...2020-06-271h 10
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 6: Ross Bleckner, ArtistRoss Bleckner is a painter who has combines gorgeous art with concrete political commitment. In the 1980s he was one of the first artists to tackle and address the AIDS crisis head-on with paintings like 'Small Count' (1980), '8,122+ As of January 1986', and 'Throbbing Heart' (1994), all mesmerizing, haunting canvases about cells and other viral matters that charter a path of activism which continues to this day.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of th...2020-06-2558 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 5: Susan Fales-Hill, Writer/ ProducerSusan Fales-Hill is a writer and television producer, and the showrunner and an executive producer on Lena Waithe’s new BET sitcom, Twenties. Susan began her career in television working first on The Cosby Show and then on its spin-off, A Different World, where she became one of the youngest - and, at the time, one of the only female - showrunners in Hollywood. She is the author of two novels and a memoir about her mother, the late actress and singer Josephine Premice.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and ph...2020-06-251h 22
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 4: Isaac Mizrahi, Fashion Designer/PerformerIsaac Mizrahi is a fashion designer whose work has shaped America’s and the world’s sense of style everywhere. He is also a singer and writer, whose book I. M. A Memoir (2019) topped the New York Times bestseller list and whose shows draw crowds in New York. A well-known judge on 'Project Runway,' he is an infallible stylist whose adventurous eyes and dexterous hands are matched by a sonorous voice. A renaissance man for the modern age, he envelops us in haute looks and humorous lyrics alike.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York Univers...2020-06-251h 06
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 3: Anna Deavere Smith, Actor/WriterAnna Deavere Smith is an award-winning actor, performer, writer and activist. Her project “Notes from the Field,” now an HBO special, is part of “The Pipeline Project” that is based on hundreds of interviews to shine a light on the lack of opportunities and resources for young people in poverty. As a creative listener attuned to the harmonies and dissonance that join and splinter communities, Smith lassoes the craft of embodied performance to ignite sites for honest reckoning, hope, and healing.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes fr...2020-06-2554 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 2: Paul Romer, EconomistPaul Romer has devoted his professional life to understand better and measure how human ingenuity is a major force in economic development. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2018, was Chief Economist of the World Bank (2016-18), and conducts research at NYU now. The economist extraordinaire is equipped with a roving intellect matched by mathematical acuity that he wields to marshal data and wisdom to extoll endogenous factors as the truly human engines of growth for a better world.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and w...2020-06-251h 05
Proust Questionnaire PodcastProust Questionnaire 1: Rosanne Cash, Singer/SongwriterRosanne Cash is one of America’s great singer songwriters whose art has earned her several Grammys, nominations for Country Music Awards and other honors for titles such as The River and the Thread (2014) and The List (2009). By tapping the roots of America’s soulful sonic traditions and the legacy of forebears and trailblazers, Cash braids the strands of longing and belonging, of freedom sought and heartache suffered, in rocking melodies and riveting lyrics unsurpassed in the nation’s songbook.Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequent...2020-06-2542 min
Proust Questionnaire PodcastThe Proust Questionnaire Podcast: An IntroductionWhat motivates creative people to do what they do, especially to change the world? The Proust Questionnaire is thought in action. It's a personality test that allows us a glimpse behind the proverbial curtain of creative people's minds. Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparat...2020-06-2503 minThink About ItGreat Books 33: Nicholas Frankel on Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray"Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was the novel that shocked, challenged, and inspired Victorian England with its tale of a beautiful young man who trades his soul, captured in a portrait, for eternal youth. I spoke with Professor Nicholas Frankel of Virginia Commonwealth University, whose biography Oscar Wilde: The Unrepentant Years, to see how one of the first true celebrities and his only novel changed the way we live in the world today.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in a...2020-06-161h 14Think About ItGreat Books 32: Brenda Wineapple on Emily Dickinson--Isolation and InterventionI spoke with Brenda Wineapple, author of White Heat, about Dickinson's remarkable assuredness, her confidence, and her decision to spend much of her life secluded in her father's home in Amherst, Massachusetts. In this state of being on her own, Dickinson had intense, passionate and transformative relationships, including one with the editor, writer, abolitionist and soldier Thomas Wentworth Higginson. "Are you too preoccupied to say whether my verse is alive?", she asked. He wasn't. Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to...2020-05-121h 13Think About ItGreat Books 31: Ann Stoler on Truth and Knowledge for Michel FoucaultIs "truth" a historical construct? Michel Foucault's work investigates this and other concepts. I spoke with Ann Stoler of NYC's New School for Social Research about Foucault to understand his investigations. How can we think of "truth" as something historically and culturally specific, rather than an absolute, unending value? Stoler's pathbreaking work on the politics of knowledge, colonial governance, racial epistemologies, the sexual politics of empire, and the ethnography of the archives.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "S...2020-05-071h 10
Think About ItGreat Books 30: Carolin Weber on Albert Camus's "The Plague"Novel laureate Albert Camus's 1947 novel The Plague is about the human response to extreme circumstances. For a long time the book was read as an allegory of people resisting fascism, but the plague never quite stays only a metaphor. I spoke with Caroline Weber, Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College to discuss how brilliantly Camus shows the wide range of human responses to extreme conditions, and how literature provides a model for getting through our current crisis.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, G...2020-03-311h 18Think About ItGreat Books 28: Béatrice Longuenesse on Kant's "What is Enlightenment?"Immanuel Kant's short 1784 essay, "What is Enlightenment?" clearly lays out what the Age of Reason means: that we are encouraged to think for ourselves to claim our freedom. I spoke with one of the great experts on Kant's philosophy, Professor Béatrice Longuenesse of NYU and the author of Kant and the Capacity to Judge, and I, Me, Mine: Back to Kant, and Back Again, to understand what Kant means when he says that we can be taught to think for ourselves, Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of...2020-02-071h 13Think About ItFree Speech 68: Henry Reichman--Can Professors Get Fired for a Tweet?Should professors be held accountable for speech they make off-campus, on-line, and apart from their professional role in the university? Does academic freedom mean freedom of speech and what are the differences? I spoke with Professor Henry Reichman, who has served as Vice President of the American Association of University Professor, an organization that defends academic freedom. Reichman has chaired the AAUP's Committee on Academic Freedom and just published The Future of Academic Freedom.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition t...2020-01-231h 06Think About ItGreat Books 26: Vivian Liska on Franz Kafka (not the way you know him)The Kafka most known today is a writer of existential despair, a futile search for meaning, and the 20th century's nightmare of humans trapped in inhuman bureaucracies or situations of terror. Liska explains how Kafka's short parables and prose conundrums offer a way out of the dilemmas of modern existence: the tribalism, fear of difference, and defensive retreat into identities that are defined by shutting out others. He is a writer of community, of laughter, and of wisdom rather than despair.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of G...2020-01-151h 07
Think About ItAffirmative Action: Margaret Chin on Affirmative Action After Harvard's WinA recent legal case about affirmative action was decided in favor of Harvard University's holistic admission practices. Is the fight over affirmative action over now? Professor Chin, at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC, explains what the legal ruling in favor of Harvard University means for higher education, for the future of affirmative action, and for students, faculty and anyone who believes in equality of opportunity in our country.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he hosts...2019-12-1057 minThink About ItGreat Books 27: Eduardo Cadava on Ralph Waldo Emerson--America's Intellectual IndependenceIn 1837 Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a lecture that Oliver Wendell Holmes, father of our modern Supreme Court, called America's Intellectual Declaration of Independence. What does it mean for America, and us as Americans, to start thinking for ourselves? What does it mean to start our intellectual break from Europe nearly half a century after the American Revolution - and what new forms of living can be envisioned now? I spoke with Eduardo Cadava, Professor at Princeton University about Emerson.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty a...2019-12-0759 minThink About ItGreat Books 25 : Ismail Muhammad on Jean Toomer's "Cane"Jean Toomer considered Cane the "swan song" of African-American folk culture rapidly destroyed by the industrialization of the South and the north-bound migration of African Americans during the era of Jim Crow. I spoke with Ismail Muhammad to understand how to read a book celebrated as a major achievement of the Harlem renaissance without pigeonholing its ambition, scope and achievement, and what Toomer's notion of "what blackness means" is so relevant back then and still today. Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in...2019-11-111h 06Think About ItdGreat Books 24: Melissa Schwartzberg on Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "Social Contract""Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." The opening sentence of 18th century philosopher Jean-Jacques Roussau's Social Contract poses a central question for all of us. Why do we live under conditions of inequality, violence, dependency and general unhappiness (just look on twitter!) if society is made by us and for us? I spoke with Melissa Schwartzberg, who is Silver Professor of Politics at New York University and a specialist in political theory, about Rousseau's importance today.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Ge...2019-10-1958 minThink About ItGreat Books 23: Dale Jamieson on the Morality of Climate ActionDale Jamieson is a professor of Environmental Studies and Philosophy at NYU School of Law. Convinced of the totality of climate change, Jamieson addresses the threat with the lens of a philosopher. Climate change is a recognition that rationalism is, in fact, not the guiding principle of international politics; it is both a threat and a contributor to our identity. Jamieson explores this in his newest book, Discerning Experts.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he hosts...2019-09-2951 minThink About ItFree Speech 67: Susan Neiman on Monuments, the Holocaust, and the Legacy of the ConfederacyHow can the German response to the Holocaust teach us about America's legacy of the Confederacy? Susan Neiman, Director of the Einstein Forum and author of many books, including the recent "Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil", suggests that it's a way into talking about American racial politics and potentially a way forward.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he hosts (with Caroline Weber) the podcast "The Proust Questionnaire” and is Editorial Director...2019-07-281h 23Think About ItGreat Books 19: Nicholas Johnson on Samuel BeckettNobel-prize winner Samuel Beckett's plays, novels, poetry, radio plays and prose reveal our deepest humanity by stripping language to its bare essentials. He reveals how our bodies moving through space are far more than vessels for a roving consciousness. They contain a hint of transcendence which manifests itself as the human need for self-expression through which we locate ourselves in time, in relation to others, and in relation to ourselves. His works contain an appeal to bear witness.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and H...2019-07-151h 06Think About ItFree Speech 66: Robert Quinn on the Values of the UniversityFree speech and academic freedom are at the heart of universities, but in isolation these principles commonly lead to dead-end situations which little hope of progress. Robert Quinn, Director of the international NGO and network Scholars at Risk, offers a values frame that touches on five core principles for universities. Academic freedom, equitable access, accountability, autonomy and social responsibility work together to make the university distinct from 'the street.'Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he ho...2019-06-2659 minThink About ItFree Speech 65: Mary Anne Franks on the Cult of the ConstitutionWe Americans are defined by our Constitution and we cherish especially the First and Second Amendments. But like all texts, the Constitution can be read to empower and protect our individual rights but it can also be used selectively, self-servingly, and in bad faith. And the Constitution guarantees two things: our own personal liberties, unfettered by threats from the government, and equal treatment before the law. Professor Mary Anne Franks teaches at the University of Miami School of Law.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty a...2019-06-2556 minThink About ItFree Speech 64: Aziz Rana on the Two Faces of American FreedomAmerica embodies the bold promise of assuring everyone's liberty to the greatest extent possible and has a history of imposing its will both internally and around the globe with great force. How can we make sense of the dual promise of personal liberation and rights for all and the expansionist idea to spread America's way of doing things around the globe? I spoke with Professor Aziz Rana of Cornell University's Law school, about this tension at the heart of the American promise.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient o...2019-06-2547 minThink About ItFree Speech 60: Yassin Nacer--Language Changes Over Time, and Students Know ThatThe battles over free speech are also battles for the hearts and minds of students. Why else would people with little interest in the university want to address college students? Because the next generation will ultimately rule the world. I spoke with Yassin Nacer, a rising senior at UC Berkeley, about his understanding of the so-called free speech controversies. He explained how people who deny that language changes over time (and refuse to learn new terms) are, as he put it, simply immature.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A re...2019-06-111h 00Think About ItFree Speech 59: Jonathan Friedman on the Chasm in the Classroom--Campus Speech in a Divided AmericaWhat's really happening on campus? PEN America cuts through the myths, the caricatures, and the misinformation. In response to President Donald Trump‘s March 2019 executive order on campus speech, PEN issued a hard-hitting report that offers concrete guidelines for how best to respond to incidents. I spoke with Jonathan Friedman, Ph.D., who is Campus Free Speech Project Director at PEN, has taught at NYU and Columbia, and is an expert on higher education and social theory.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards...2019-06-101h 02Think About ItGreat Books 20: Rowan Ricardo Phillips on Phillis Wheatley and the African-American TraditionPhillis Wheatley, who was kidnapped in Africa and sold into slavery as a child in Boston, is the first Black person to publish a book in the US. Wheatley's status as the first African-American poet in the US is of great importance, and yet it is an ambiguous matter to assign her this role of being 'the first.' Poet Rowan Ricardo Philips talks about the significance of being "the first" and how to think of the African-American tradition without creating a lesser category of the canon.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at N...2019-05-2242 minThink About ItFree Speech 57: Laura Weinrib on the ACLU's Controversial Approach to Hate SpeechIn August 2017 Laura Weinrib wrote: "Commentators have rightly observed that the ACLU has defended far-right speech since its founding, despite fierce criticism. But there is a common and mistaken premise in this analysis. It assumes that the organization has always believed, as it does today, that “freedom of expression is an end in itself.” We take a look back at the important history. Laura Weinrib is Professor of Law and an Associate Member of the University of Chicago Department of History.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Gugge...2019-05-221h 05
Think About ItGreat Books 26: Vivian Liska on Franz Kafka (not the way you know him)The Kafka most known today is a writer of existential despair, a futile search for meaning, and the 20th century's nightmare of humans trapped in inhuman bureaucracies or situations of terror. Liska explains how Kafka's short parables and prose conundrums offer a way out of the dilemmas of modern existence: the tribalism, fear of difference, and defensive retreat into identities that are defined by shutting out others. He is a writer of community, of laughter, and of wisdom rather than despair.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of G...2019-05-221h 07Think About ItGreat Books 21: Richard J. Bernstein on the Alarmingly Relevant Hannah ArendtThe philosopher Richard J. Bernstein met Arendt first in 1972, when he was a young professor and three years before her death. He explained to me why Arendt’s work should be read today with renewed urgency, because it provides illumination into the forces that shape our present. Instead of a dry academic exposé, I got a moving anecdote about his first meeting with Arendt and a lucid yet impassioned explanation of Arendt's analysis of politics and of the human condition.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Gett...2019-05-2257 minThink About ItFree Speech 56: Hadas Aron on the Populist Attacks on AcademiaWhy do populist movements, which exist on both the left and the right, attack universities? Is there any justification for their suspicion of elites who tell us what's true, how to live our lives, and how to solve our problems? What's the relation between populism, academia, and the ideal that everyone's opinion should matter, regardless of their education, birth and academic degrees? Hadas Aron is a political scientist at NYU who studies populist movements.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition t...2019-05-2156 minThink About ItFree Speech 63: David Cole on the ACLU's Defense of LibertyThe ACLU defends your liberties - whether you're on the right, the left, and entirely off the political spectrum. The 100-year old organization has argued and won landmark decisions before the Supreme Court to defend individual rights. Is it right to put principle above all other consideration and offer legal aid to Neo-Nazis? Or are there factors beyond the ideals of the law that inform such actions? I spoke with David Cole, National Director of the ACLU, in his New York office.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient o...2019-05-2150 minThink About ItFree Speech 52: Eugene Volokh on What We Mean by "The First Amendment"What do we mean when we say "The First Amendment"? It's obvious: we mean the most robust protection of speech rights, religious liberty, freedom of the press, and freedom of association in the world today. Correct, says Eugene Volokh, absolutely correct. But it could change! Listen to this illuminating conversation with a leading expert on freedom of speech and constitutional law at UCLA. Volokh clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and runs the Volokh Conspiracy, a legal blog.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Ge...2019-05-201h 19Think About ItAffirmative Action: Van Tran on the Dream and Reality of College AdmissionsHow can universities allow more students from more backgrounds gain access to what continues to be the surest way of attaining economic success? How do different ethnic groups fare in college -- and what does it mean that some groups attain 'hypermobility' while others seem to lag behind? I spoke with Van C. Tran, who is Associate Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center at CUNY and who researches the incorporation of Asian and Latino immigrants and their children into American society.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient o...2019-05-181h 02Think About ItFree Speech 62: Stephen Solomon--Raucous, Robust, and Radical: The Founders and Free SpeechWhere does our country's deep commitment to free speech come from? Stephen Solomon researched the range of political speech before the adoption of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights to chronicle years of robust and often controversial speech. Solomon is the author of Revolutionary Dissent: How the Founding Generation Created the Freedom of Speech, Associate Director of NYU's Journalism Institute, and the founding director of the firstamendmentwatch website. Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he hosts...2019-05-181h 00Think About ItFree Speech 55: Jacob T. Levy--Can Universities Make Their Own Rules?Should the government intervene when there’s a speech controversy on campus? Or should universities be allowed to set their own rules, like other associations such as clubs, homeowner associations or churches? Jacob Levy of McGill University has written extensively about the tension between the idea that the state grants or restrict our liberties, while allowing private associations to set their own rules for their members. When is the right moment for the state to interfere in a group's rules?Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Gett...2019-05-1854 minThink About ItFree Speech 61: Jeffrey Sachs--The Free Speech Crisis . . . Is It Real?Self-appointed watchdog groups rank colleges on free speech. Legislatures want to punish universities that don’t uphold free-speech in ways they define. Is there really a crisis? Are students less committed to free speech that earlier generations? Are people allowed to say what they want, or do faculty and students self-censor so they're not challenged and canceled? I spoke with Jeffrey Sachs of Acadia University who teaches political science and has written extensively on the topic.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in...2019-05-1856 minThink About ItFree Speech 53: Eric Segall--Should You Trust the Supreme Court?Free speech is hotly debated around the world today -- and will it be saved by the U.S. Supreme Court? Professor Eric Segall is skeptical about putting our faith and our fate in the hands of nine black-robed justices placed for a lifetime on the Court. He questions the outsized role of judges to overturn laws, which should only happen, he says, when there is clear and convincing evidence of an "irreconcilable variance" between the law and my constitutional rights). Is there a better way?Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New Y...2019-05-171h 05Think About ItFree Speech 54: Adrienne Stone on Free Speech (or Lack Thereof?) Around the WorldHow can different democracies define free speech differently? In many democracies, speech is regulated differently : in the US hate speech is protected but not child pornography, political speech is protected but not defamation. In other democracies, Holocaust denial or incitement of racial hatred is not protected by the state. I spoke with Adrienne Stone, one of the world's experts on these different approaches to speech. Dr. Stone is Professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in...2019-05-171h 05Think About ItFree Speech 50: Sophia Rosenfeld on Truth and DemocracyFake News. Post-truth. Alternative Facts. Conspiracies. Lies, lies, lies. We are living in a disorienting time when truth, it seems, is up for grabs. In Democracy and Truth: A Short History, Sophie Rosenfeld explains that a crisis of truth is not new, and that democracy has always (at least in its modern forms) had to find a way to mediate expert knowledge (of the elites) with the wisdom of the crowds and common sense. Rosenfeld is Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A...2019-05-171h 00Think About ItAffirmative Action: Liliana Garces--Let's Create a Level Playing Field"I want to help the field of education realize its potential to help realize all Americans' potential." Dr. Liliana Garces was co-counsel in presenting amicus briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Affiliate Faculty at the University of Texas School of Law. Her research is on access, diversity, and equity in higher education, and the use and influence of social science research in law. Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and...2019-05-1758 minThink About ItGreat Books 18: Jessica Benjamin's "The Bonds of Love"In several books, Jessica Benjamin provides a corrective to the modern Western conception of subjectivity. Rather than privileging the development of autonomy and independence, Benjamin asks whether there’s a part of humanity that is in fact deeply relational but gets buried in the stories and practices we impose on ourselves to grow up. I spoke with Benjamin about a different way of orienting our life stories and why a belief in the repairability of the world is essential for our survival.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of...2019-05-121h 12Think About ItGreat Books 22: Maureen McLane on William WordsworthThe British romantic poet William Wordsworth is best known for his moving evocations of nature, his celebration of childhood, and his quest to find a shared humanity. He’s also considered the first modern poet because he turns his mind's workings into the subject of his poetry. That hadn’t happened before. What Wordsworth may really be about, I discussed with brilliant poet and critic Maureen McLane, is whether we trade in the ecstasies of youthful exuberance for a measured but diminished life.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recip...2019-05-121h 07Think About ItGreat Books 15: Julie Carlson on Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley wrote Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus when she was nineteen years old on a bet. It is the first science fiction novel spawning two centuries of creatures that turn against their makers. I spoke with Julie Carlson, the author of a gripping biography of Mary Shelley's family about what it means that a woman wrote the first science fiction novel, and why the book and the "daemon" Shelley imagined proves so powerful 200 years after its invention.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, G...2019-04-2751 minThink About ItGreat Books 16: Amir Eshel on Paul Celan's PoetryPaul Celan's poetry bears witness to the Holocaust as the irredeemable rupture in European civilization, but he does so in German, the language of the perpetrators who murdered his parents along with millions of others. How do you bear witness to suffering, murder and loss in the language of the murderers? How can poetry account for the inhumanity of the Holocaust without aestheticizing it? I spoke with Amir Eshel, a critic and poet who is also a professor at Stanford University.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Gu...2019-04-2756 minThink About ItGreat Books 13: Hillary Chute on Art Spiegelman's "Maus"Art Spiegelman's Maus is the story of an American cartoonist's efforts to uncover and record his father's story of survival of the Holocaust. It is also a cartoon. It's a story of survival and also a story of silences, and how the next generation can find and make sense of stories that seem to defy representation in their sheer horror. It's also a triumph of art not over history and trauma, but as a means to deal with it, without finding closure. I spoke with Hilary Chute, an expert on comics.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography a...2019-04-2758 minThink About ItGreat Books 14: John Callahan on Ralph Waldo Ellison's "Invisible Man"Ralph Waldo Ellison's masterpiece 1952 Invisible Man tells the story of an African-American man who insists on his visibility, agency, and humanity in a country dead set on not seeing him, barring him from most opportunities, and denying his humanity. I spoke with John Callahan, Ellison's literary executor who brought us the posthumously published Juneteenth, the short story collection Flying Home, and a forthcoming edition of Ellison's letters spanning some 40 years.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he host...2019-04-2751 minThink About ItGreat Books 12: Peter Brooks on Sigmund Freud's "Civilization and its Discontents"We want to be happy, we want to love and be loved. But life, even when our basic needs are met, often makes us unhappy. You can't always get what you want, Freud noted in his 1930 short book, Civilization and its Discontents, and our desires are foiled not by bad luck, our failures, or the environment but often by the civilization meant to make life better. Why does more civilization also mean more psychological suffering? I spoke with Peter Brooks, an expert on Freud and author of many books.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Pr...2019-04-1650 minThink About ItGreat Books 17: Denis Hollier on Claude Lévi-Strauss's "Tristes Tropiques"Claude Lévi-Strauss Tristes Tropiques is one of the great books of the 20th century: intellectually bold, morally capacious, and it aims to understand nothing less than the elemental workings of the human mind. It is a work of impassioned curiosity and, even though it's a pessimistic diagnosis of the damage humans, especially Europeans, have inflicted on the planet, it's brimming with hope. I spoke with Denis Hollier, NYU Professor and an expert in French culture, philosophy and literature.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty an...2019-04-0954 minThink About ItGreat Books 10: Emily Bernard on Nella Larsen's "Passing"Nella Larsen's gripping 1929 novel Passing recounts the fateful encounter of two women who can pass from being black to white, and back again -- with devastating moral and social consequences. I spoke with Professor Emily Bernard, Julian Lindsay Green & Gold Professor at the University of Vermont and the author of many award-winning books, including the 2019 Black is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition to hosting "Speaking of…” he...2019-04-041h 03Think About ItGreat Books 11: Deborah Plant on Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God"Zora Neale Hurston’s masterpiece, Their Eyes Were Watching God, captures what is at the heart of all great literature: the irrepressible urge to speak, express oneself, and be heard and understood. I spoke with Professor Deborah Plant, a scholar of African-American literature and culture. Professor Plant explained how Hurston’s training as an anthropologist with Franz Boas at Barnard College shaped her writing, and how her novel constitutes one of our nation's greatest achievements.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in additi...2019-03-281h 11Think About ItFree Speech 48: Susan Williams on Truth, Autonomy, and Free SpeechFeminism is a useful lens through which to view the law because it reveals unspoken assumptions where the disputes seem almost ideological and no longer legal. Professor Susan Williams takes a dispassionate view of the speech debates and shows that they tend to advance one of two views: free speech leads to the truth; free speech allows citizens to be fully autonomous. Both views are important but not easily reconciled. There is a way out that grounds speech rights in a "shared reality."Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A r...2019-03-2855 minThink About ItAffirmative Action: OiYan Poon on Race, Admissions, and AchievementWhat's the link between race, admissions, and achievement in today's higher education? Is is easier for some groups to get into college thanks to affirmative action, and harder for others? The lawsuits against affirmative action involving Harvard, UNC, and other schools all claim that affirmative action is unfair, unjust and, it would be hard to miss, un-American. Professor Poon studies higher education and analyzes policies in light of hard data, not myths and misperceptions.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, in addition t...2019-03-2859 minThink About ItGreat Books 9: Caroline Weber on Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time"“My greatest adventure was undoubtedly Proust. What is there left to write after that?” This is what Virginia Woolf said full of admiration and envy, too. Delve into Marcel Proust in this conversation with Caroline Weber, one of the great Proust experts of our time. Will being in the world of the rich and famous make you happy? Proust's narrator tries it out. Will love bring happiness? Proust's narrator finds a disturbing answer. Will art create contentment? Listen to find out.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggen...2019-03-231h 10Think About ItFree Speech 47: Ekow Yankah--With Freedom Comes ResponsibilityProfessor Ekow Yankaw explains how we can maintain our freedom and liberty when living in society with others. How are our rights and duties interwoven in a republic? Can the government take a role in guaranteeing these rights but also enforcing these duties? Have we -- in today's America -- lost the register that says that we have obligations toward others, and that being part of a republic means being bound together in a common enterprise?Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, i...2019-03-211h 06Think About ItFree Speech 46: Alexander Tsesis on Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings, and Free SpeechDoes allowing hate speech serve the function to get such ideas into the open where they can be defeated? How do we understand “trigger warnings” and safe spaces from a free-speech perspective? Do existing legal guidelines on how to regulate speech work for universities? How do we balance the right to speak with the right to participate in open and robust debate? I spoke with Professor Alexander Tsesis who teaches at Loyola University’s School of Law in Chicago.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Hum...2019-03-141h 08Think About ItFree Speech 45: Pamela Newkirk on Staying Media-Savvy in an Age of DistrustWhat does it mean to be media-savvy? What is the truth in a post-factual era? How can we achieve basic media literacy in an age when telling lies has become a method to undermine our faith in facts? I spoke with Pamela Newkirk about maintaining the right kind of skepticism toward the media in an age when the independent press is under attack. Newkirk is a widely published journalist and scholar who holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Journalism at New York University.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New Y...2019-03-1447 minThink About ItGreat Books 7: Catharine Stimpson on Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex""Woman is not born but made." This sentence in philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s magisterial The Second Sex (1949) means that there’s nothing natural about the fact that 50% of humanity has been oppressed by the other half for millennia. There’s nothing natural about the secondary status of women as either inferior or as assistants, supporters, care-givers, or objects of reverence, fascination, lust and desire. I spoke with Kate Stimpson, one of the founders of women's studies in US higher ed.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenh...2019-02-0552 minThink About ItAffirmative Action: Mark Tseng-Putterman on Asian-American Activism in ContextAsian-Americans are central players in a lawsuit about affirmative action filed against Harvard University - or are they being set up and used? What is the role of Asian-Americans in campus debates in general? What and how do Asian-Americans contribute to campus movements for social justice? Where and when do Asian-Americans show up -- and what has been their contribution and involvement in improving American higher education, from the 1960s until today? Mark Tseng-Putterman shares his insights.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt a...2019-02-0349 minThink About ItFree Speech 42: Jack Tchen--Must Columbus Fall?Should Columbus Fall? Should the statue be toppled, and should Columbus Circle be renamed while we're at it? In 2017 New York City's Mayor, Bill de Blasio, charged a high-profile commission with the task of determining what to do about the statue of Columbus and a few other figures that generate heated debates. Professor Jack Tchen, the author of Yellow Peril and a co-founder of New York City's Museum of Chinese in America, talks about the controversy and how the committee responded.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of G...2019-01-291h 07Think About ItAffirmative Action: Natasha Warikoo on How to Think About Affirmative Action--Colorblindness, or Diversity?Shouldn't all decisions about college admissions, employment, housing, etc., be colorblind? Or, as many liberals in the US would argue, is a "diversity frame" more useful, which acknowledges how race, gender and ethnicity play a role in our practice and experiences, and says that we should celebrate and highlight these differences? By studying how students think about this, Professor Natasha Warikoo proposes a more honest and more useful way of understanding how affirmative action can work.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards, i...2019-01-2848 minThink About ItAffirmative Action: Randall Kennedy--FOR Discrimination. A Case for Affirmative ActionAffirmative action is under attack. A lawsuit filed against Harvard might end the practice altogether. Professor Randall Kennedy of Harvard Law acknowledges the costs of affirmative action but considers it ultimately a “positive good,” a moral necessity, and a legally defensible practice. Kennedy explains why affirmative action is the responsible choice in our nation burdened by a history of racial injustice – and how his thinking evolved from the election of Obama to the state we're in now.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humboldt awards...2019-01-221h 03Think About ItGreat Books 8: Benjamin Reiss on Henry David Thoreau's "Walden"America’s “environmental prophet,” Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden in an effort to unshackle America from the consumerism, competitiveness, and dishonesty that created a new nation without reaching true freedom and equality. Thoreau’s book is about a better, simpler life and about settling a continent stolen from Native peoples and aided by the sin of slavery. I spoke with Benjamin Reiss, of Emory University about how to read philosophically, and how to get a good night’s sleep.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York University. A recipient of Guggenheim, Getty and Humbold...2019-01-2159 minThink About ItFree Speech 39: Martha Jones on Birthright CitizenshipWho’s in, and who’s out? Professor Martha Jones explains the history of birthright citizenship, how Black Americans claimed the rights of citizens long before the courts and Congress granted them such legal rights, and why this prehistory matters to understand today’s debates. Is it outrageous that senior officials question the right of birthright citizenship? You may think so, but you’d also be wrong to think that this right has not been and will remain contested as long as the Republic stands.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor at New York Universit...2019-01-171h 01Think About ItGreat Books 6: Glenn Wallis on Kahil Gibran's "The Prophet"Kahlil Gibran’s 1923 The Prophet is a book that’s changed people’s lives. It is a deceptively simple book but it contains a radical insight. “Of what can I speak save of that which is even now moving in your souls?” What can a book teach us that we cannot know ourselves? I spoke with Glenn Wallis, a renowned scholar of Buddhism, author and teacher who has published The Dhammapada, Basic Teachings of the Buddha, and a Critique of Western Buddhism, and who runs Incite Seminars in Philadelphia.Uli Baer teaches literature and photography as University Professor a...2019-01-121h 04