
“The commons,” as both a question and an organizing theme, inaugurates a new initiative of the Princeton Public Lectures Committee called Princeton Talks, a series of short, informal and recorded presentations delivered by university faculty. It is hoped that the format of the talks will help to make them nimble intellectual resources for the community and a forum for enrichment across diverse fields of expertise.
Is there value in invoking “the commons” as a concept or practice? In our present historical moment, questions about what is shared and who belongs converge around a set of ongoing crises: technologies that utilize and control ideas, data and genetic material; ecological destruction and the management of land and resources; conflicts over the spaces and voices that constitute political participation. Can “the commons”—with its multiple histories and applications in fields as diverse as astrophysical sciences, music, religion, archaeology and sociology—serve as an effective definition or critical term or perhaps even as an ideal today?
This year we look forward to inspiring talks by Basile Baudez, Asst. Professor of Art & Archaeology; Shamus Khan, Professor of Sociology and American Studies; Brandon Stewart, Asst. Professor of Sociology; David MacMillan, Professor of Chemistry; Marna Seltzer, Director, Princeton Concerts, Gáspár Bakos, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences; Laura Edwards, Professor of History; Fredrick Wherry, Professor of Sociology; Sarah Rivett, Professor of English and American Studies; and Coleen Murphy, Professor of Molecular Biology.
Featured Talk
- Sarah RivettProfessor of English and American Studies
From Common Land to Raven's Land: Unsettling American OriginsRuntime: 11:46-
Past Talks
- Frederick WherryTownsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of SociologyHow Should We Protect the Dignity of the Indebted?Runtime:14:58Released:Apr 18, 2022
- Professor of HistoryLaura EdwardsClass of 1921 Bicentennial Professor in the History of American Law and LibertyProperty Ownership through Practice: How People Made Common Law in 19th-Century United StatesRuntime:13:57Released:Mar 24, 2022
- MusicMarna SeltzerDirector, Princeton ConcertsWhy We Gather: The Case for Live ConcertsRuntime:16:35Released:Mar 8, 2022
- Professor of ChemistryDavid W. MacMillanJames S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of ChemistryA Nobel Laureate Discusses His Path to Organic ChemistryRuntime:14:02Released:Feb 21, 2022
- Assistant Professor of SociologyBrandon StewartText as DataText as DataRuntime:11:56Released:Feb 8, 2022
- Professor of Sociology and American StudiesShamus R. KhanThe Political Commons: Public Goods, Diversity, Conflict, and ElitesRuntime:26:08Released:Jan 26, 2022