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This event will be held in English.
Co-sponsored by Columbia Global Paris Center, Smith Junior Year Abroad, and the Smith College Club of France.
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Narratives of decline have not only become common, they have become fashionable. Between war, climate change, the rise of populist and neofascist movements, immigration and public health crises, the world undoubtedly faces profound challenges. Given these realities, pessimism is understandable.
Yet, as Professor Gregory White emphasizes, resisting cynicism and defeatist thinking is crucial. Surrendering to “doomism” and apocalyptic narratives, he argues, not only distorts our perspective but also reinforces the very problems we seek to solve rather than leading to meaningful solutions. Join him as he explores the importance of envisioning the future through a broader historical lens—acknowledging past progress, fostering solidarity, and understanding our place in history.
Speaker
Gregory White is the Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government at Smith College. He is also the chair of the Environmental Science & Policy Program. He teaches courses on global environmental politics, international relations, migration and refugee politics, and the global politics of tourism. He also offers a senior seminar on North African politics.
White’s research and publications focus on North African politics, migration and refugee studies, environmental politics and international security. He is the former co-editor of the Journal of North African Studies. In 2009–10 he received a New Directions Grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, where he studied climate and earth science at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. In the fall 2019, he was a visiting scholar at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco. He is currently at work on a book manuscript entitled, Refugees of the Apocalypse?: A Critique of the Concept of “Climate Refugees.”
Reid Hall, the Columbia Global Paris Center, and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination are not responsible for the views and opinions expressed by their speakers and guests.
