Melbern G. Glasscock Building

Presenters:Sirsha Nandi, Ph.D. Candidate | English "What is "the peace of a cosmically powerless man?" The Troubling Dalit and Neoliberal Aesthetics" Kevin Glowacki, Associate Professor | Architecture "Architectural Contexts of Ritual Behavior at Shrines of the 'Minoan Goddess with Upraised Arms' on Crete during thePostpalatialperiod (ca. 1360-1050 BCE)"Abstracts:Nandi Beginning the twenty-first century, new spaces have emerged within the context of postcolonial struggles for Dalits in India, in particular, to engage more meaningfully with a cosmopolitan audience. If the impact of modernity is rupturing tradition in favor of innovation and political reform, modernity also introduces new ways to speak to structural inequality. In response to Indian modernity, which retains a tradition of caste distinction while jettisoning other traditional practices and beliefs, this paper will discuss Manu Joseph's Serious Men (2010) by looking into the limitations of aesthetic representation of Dalits, in this case an urban Dalit living in contemporary Mumbai. Joseph's experimental narrative offers a form that departs from activist-centered reading characteristic to caste studies. The Dalit protagonist in Serious Men, Ayyan Mani, brings the readers' attention to lives that have the potential to subvert traditional caste and religious antagonisms wherein Ayyan produces new subject narratives for himself. Ayyan's experiences can be read as an engine for producing the new Indian subject in ways such that his characterization provokes a rupture, engaging in new discursive positions. Motivated by cheap tricks that are at once repulsive and attractive, we are struck by Ayyan's ingenuity. Joseph attaches the term neoliberalism to the Dalit consciousness disengaging from his predecessors writing about caste.GlowackiMy project investigates the architectural contexts of ritual behavior at shrines of the "Minoan Goddess with Upraised Arms" on Crete during thelater part of the Bronze Age(ca. 1360–1050 BCE).Itfocuses on two shrines, one excavated in 1901 at the Minoan city ofGournia, and another at the small hamlet ofKavousiVrondadiscovered in 1987–1990. In association with artifacts found at both sites,the comparative analysis of the architecture provides important evidence for understanding the ritual behavior and religious practices of their respective communities, especially in terms of the construction of space for dedication and display,the creation ofattention focusing devices, and the potential for participationin different types of ritualsby members of the community. Both shrines also speak to the power of place in preserving memory and identity across generations, as both buildings were clearly remembered and reused–probably bydescendent communities –after periods ofsiteabandonment.   Chair: Jennifer Wells | History  Please note that this is not a lecture, and thus, is not suited for class attendance. The Colloquium Series is intended to provide the presenter with a forum to discuss their research and receive feedback from colleagues and peers.