Homi Bhabha: Culture and Security

Public Programs

Thursday, April 12, 2007
Phyllis Wattis Distinguished Lecture
Culture and Security
Homi Bhabha
6:30 p.m.
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Founded in 1995 through the generosity of Phyllis Wattis, this series of lectures brings influential thinkers to SFMOMA. This spring's distinguished lecturer is Homi Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. Bhabha is one of the most incisive and eloquent theorists of cultural identity working today. His books include The Location of Culture, Nation and Narration, and the new work A Measure of Dwelling, which addresses the history of cosmopolitanism. Okwui Enwezor, dean of academic affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute, will speak in response to the lecture, drawing on his experience as curator of numerous exhibitions on the global politics of contemporary art.

Is your culture capable of killing me? For Bhabha, this question defines the West's attitude toward the rest of the world today. While in the past the concern was whether other cultures were capable of modernization (i.e., Westernization) or capitalism, the Western perspective in the 21st century is determined by a demand for security. Bhabha explores what is at stake given this new state of affairs and discusses the role of cultural practice in response.

$8 general; $5 SFMOMA members, students, and seniors. Tickets are available at the Museum (with no surcharge) or online.