Associação Cultural Videobrasil, in partnership with Sesc São Paulo and the Goethe Institut, presented the Public Panel for the first São Paulo edition of the Summer Conversations workshop. The workshop was a sample of the upcoming Johannesburg Workshop in Theory and Criticism – a South African think-tank that tackles global issues from the perspectives of Southern countries, in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), the Johns Hopkins University (USA), and the Humanities Research Institute at the University of California. With two main premises as its starting point – “Can we envision a society where race is not a predominant factor?” and “What challenges face us on attaining that vision, and what would it be like?” – the debate took place over the course of two days of meetings at the Goethe Institut headquarters, featuring artists and intellectuals from Brazil, South Africa, and the United States. The debate was held at the Sesc Pompeia Warehouse, which is currently hosting the 30 Years show of the 18th Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil, and featured Joel Zito Araújo, Marina de Mello e Souzal, David Goldberg, Danai Mupotsa and Nadia Fadil. The debate was mediated by Kelly Gillespie.
Joel Zito Araújo (Nanuque, Brazil, 1954) is a filmmaker, writer and professor. He has a PhD in Communication Sciences from the University of São Paulo (Brazil). He has concluded a posdoctorate at the University of Texas - Austin (United States), where he was also a visiting professor from 2001 to 2002. He investigates the relationship between media and racism.
Marina de Mello e Souza (São Paulo, Brazil, 1957) is a historian and professor at the University of São Paulo (Brazil). She has as main themes of research the history of precolonial Africa, the Afro-Brazilian culture and the Afro-Catholicism.
David Theo Goldberg (South Africa, 1952) is professor of Comparative Literature, Anthropology and Criminology at the University of California - Irvine (United States), where he also directs the Humanities Research Institute. He has as main focus of interest the notions of Race and racism, critical theory and digital humanities.
Danai Mupotsa is a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa).
Nadia Fadil (Antwerpen, Belgium, 1978) is a sociologist and anthropologist. She researches the intersection between religion, subjectivity and secularism, with Islam in Europe as a main focus of interest. She is assistant professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).
Kelly Gillespie (Cape Town, 1976) is a convener of the Johannesburg Workshop in Theory and Criticism. She is senior lecture in the Department of Anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). Her research includes legal anthropology, South African history, race and sexuality.