Dartmouth Events

A useable classical past?  Novelty and tradition in Cicero, Vergil, and Hannah Arendt

What assistance or inspiration can the canon of classical political thought offer us as we tackle the challenges of late modernity? In this lecture, I come at the question from the standpoint of thinkers at two moments in time — through Hannah Arendt, whose political thinking was deeply engaged with classical texts, and through Cicero and Vergil, for whom tradition was key to imagining the Roman future. 

Dr. Joy Connolly is the Provost and Professor of Classics at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Before joining CUNY in August 2016, she was the Dean for the Humanities and Professor of Classics at New York University. Connolly's research focuses on Roman ideas about aesthetics, communication, and political action, particularly as they relate to the contemporary world. Her first book, The State of Speech (Princeton, 2007), examined the relationship between the ability to communicate and the Roman ideals of citizenship. The Life of Roman Republicanism (Princeton, 2014) analyzed key themes in Roman thought: freedom, recognition, antagonism, self-knowledge, irony, and imagination. Along with articles and book chapters, she has written reviews for the London Times Literary Supplement, The Nation and other newspapers and journals. She serves on the board of directors of the Society for Classical Studies.  Connolly earned her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 1991 and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. 

This event is free and open to the public!