Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tuesday 28 February
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
The shock election of Donald Trump has forced a period of reeling and reckoning in the United States. How have the failures of previous administrations led to the election of such an unorthodox candidate? And how will Trump’s exploitation of scapegoats – both inside America and outside – play out now he’s actually in office?
In the first Fifth Estate discussion of 2017, Sally Warhaft hosts two heavy-hitting American experts. Thomas Frank is the author of Listen, Liberal, a blistering appraisal of recent Democratic administrations and a liberal professional class seemingly indifferent to widening income inequality. Cynthia P. Schneider is a foreign policy expert at the highly respected Brookings Institution in Washington and an active, eloquent advocate of ‘soft power’ and cultural diplomacy, especially with the Muslim world.
With host Sally Warhaft, the pair will explore a wide range of questions around America’s recent past, present and future, and provide a unique perspective from the inside. How might Trump work to serve the interests of those who voted for him in protest against the establishment? And how are his efforts likely to affect those well beyond American borders?
Featuring
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is the author of Listen Liberal, Pity the Billionaire, The Wrecking Crew and What's the Matter with Kansas? A former columnist for the Wall Street Journal and Harper's, Frank is the founding editor of the Baffler. He lives outside Washington, DC.
Cynthia P. Schneider
Cynthia P. Schneider, Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, teaches, publishes, and organises initiatives in the field of cultural diplomacy – with a focus on relations with the Muslim world.
She co-directs the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown, as well as the Los Angeles-based MOST Resource (Muslims on Screen and Television). Additionally, she co-directs the Timbuktu Renaissance, an innovative strategy and platform for countering extremism and promoting peace and development through a focus on culture, which grew out of her work leading the Arts and Culture Dialogue Initiative within Brookings’ Center for Middle East Policy.
Schneider teaches courses in diplomacy and culture in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where, from 1984 to 2005, she was a member of the art history faculty, and published on Rembrandt and 17th Century Dutch art. She also organised exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
She publishes and speaks frequently on topic related to arts, culture, and media and international affairs. She is currently writing a book on the role of culture in foreign policy and international relations, entitled Culture on the Front Lines: 21st Century Diplomacy. She has lectured on culture and diplomacy topics from Australia and New Zealand to Singapore, China, and Japan; to Egypt, Morocco, and the UAE; to many locations in Europe and the US.
From 1998 to 2001, she served as US Ambassador to the Netherlands, during which time she led initiatives in cultural diplomacy, biotechnology, cybersecurity and education.
She has a PhD and BA from Harvard University and she serves on various boards of directors and advisory boards.
Sally Warhaft
Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre’s live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year ...