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  • Virtual
    Are we on the brink of a new and irreversible epoch; one that signals the end of democratic civilization as we have known it? Hard right political groups like Germany’s AfD party, which has roots in Nazi ideology, have celebrated Trump’s second term along with other extreme European politicians like Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban who announced that he had “downed vodka” in celebration of Trump’s win.

    Cambridge Forum has invited three experts to consider the current political situation, from a US and global perspective. Richard Seymour, a writer and broadcaster from Northern Ireland, has been watching the disturbing political developments in Europe and elsewhere; his latest book, Disaster Nationalism, analyzes the roots, influencers and threats that this global shift poses.
    Sasha Abramsky, political journalist and writing lecturer at UC Davis, is a correspondent for The Nation magazine. Last week, he summarized the chaotic situation in Washington for The Nation “Trump’s win is a boon to the far right in Europe and beyond. There are certain basic things that an administration is supposed to do in a constitutional democracy, first and foremost is abiding by the law, not physically endangering political opponents and funding government services.”
    Michelle Lynn Kahn is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at the University of Richmond where she examines post-1945 Germany and Europe in a global and transnational frame focusing on racism, far-right extremism, gender and migration.
    This week, Elon Musk and his “unelected, unvetted and without federal government clearance” team wreaked havoc in government offices in the Capitol, to obtain access to sensitive personal data of all U.S. citizens. Is this assault on our democratic system the beginning of the end?
    Partner:
    Cambridge Forum
  • Michelle Lynn Kahn is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at the University of Richmond where she examines post-1945 Germany and Europe in a global and transnational frame focusing on racism, far-right extremism, gender and migration.
  • Sasha Abramsky is a widely published freelance journalist. The author of ten books, he is the Western States correspondent for the Nation magazine, and his work has appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, Salon, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, the Guardian, the New Statesman and many other publications. His most recent book is Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America. He currently writes a weekly column on the Trump regime, Hiding in Plain Sight, for the Nation.
  • Richard Seymour, a writer and broadcaster from Northern Ireland, has been watching the disturbing political developments in Europe and elsewhere and in his latest book, Disaster Nationalism, he analyzes the roots, influencers and threats that this global shift poses. Seymour offers a stark warning. The battle against disaster nationalism is not just political; it is a struggle for our collective soul and the future of civilization itself. Unless we get to grips with the deeper forces propelling the far-right resurgence, a new fascism will emerge, and we will have little chance of stopping it.
  • Since Francis Cabot Lowell and Paul Moody set the first power looms in motion in 1814, textiles have been at the crossroads of American industry, artisan craft, and functionality. The great textile mills of New England drove the American Industrial Revolution, starting with the Boston Manufacturing Company on this very site in Waltham.

    Now two centuries later, designers are forging innovative ways to ‘weave’ textiles using 3D technology and design in virtual space, grounded by the principles of the loom. Award-winning designer, artist, and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, Oren Sherman, will bring us along on his own journey, discovering the cultural meaning and evolving technology embedded in textile design. Pattern traveled on textiles and the availability of locally made affordable woven cloth gave birth to an industry supercharged by the Waltham-Lowell System, including fabric dyeing and pattern design. That scale led to rapid innovation in manufacturing and design.

    In exploring the construction of commercial textile patterning, Sherman found himself leaving the world of the ‘repeat’ and exploring in virtual space. He’ll explain how a desire to ‘walk through walls’ lead him to 3D weaving as an inspiration that, ironically, led him back to the first principles of the elegantly complex power loom. Oren’s talk will feature vivid color and vibrant patterns, while simultaneously connecting innovation with cutting-edge technology.
    Partner:
    Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
  • An alumnus and professor specializing in design, marketing and branding at the renowned Rhode Island School Of Design, Oren has partnered with corporations across the country developing original artwork and licensed collections that capture a brand’s identity. His work is sophisticated, contemporary and utterly unique, standing at the cutting edge where art meets commerce. Oren’s versatility and visual intelligence inform his distinctive approach. His art powers brand, creating a multi-level subliminal experience that resonates as an unspoken message everywhere the environment touches the customer.
  • Courtney Flynn is the co-owner of Trident Booksellers and Cafe, an independent bookstore in the heart of downtown Boston that is in its 41st year of operation. When she is not at the store, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her kids.
  • The environmental impact of industrialization is often imagined as belching smokestacks or noxious effluents. But local pollution is only the most obvious impact of industrialization. Often overlooked are the distant impacts and ‘externalities’ that accompanied mechanized production and the growth of modern cities.

    The Waltham and Lowell systems which birthed textile manufacturing in America were highly profitable and spurred a massive influx of investment capital into the sector. Between 1830 and 1840, more than 270 textile manufacturers were incorporated in Massachusetts alone, each equipped with hundreds of machine tools and dozens of hydro-turbines.

    The tremendous demand for raw materials – wood, cotton, iron, clay, limestone, granite, etc. – transformed landscape and watershed. The dramatic rise in demand for raw cotton in America and Britain intensified the brutality of forced labor in the American South, expanded the plantation system into Alabama and Mississippi, and prompted war against Mexico. The growing network of factory sites co-produced an extensive network of railroads and canals. The first twenty years of factory building in Lowell alone required clearing more than 25 square miles of forest for structural timber.

    In this talk, historical archaeologist Kevin Coffee shares his research on the standing structures commissioned by the Lowell manufacturers and explores some of the most significant wide-area impacts produced by the new industry.
    Partner:
    Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
  • Kevin Coffee is an archaeologist and museologist whose research explores the materiality of late-modern societal development, especially urbanization and industrialization. From 2018 into 2023, he was the chief interpretation and education officer at Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell MA. He has published about urban development and industrialization in Industrial Archaeology Review, Post-Medieval Archaeology, Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology, and in the Routledge International Handbook of Heritage and Politics.
  • In Person
    Virtual
    Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, is often claimed as an emerging technology that will disrupt all facets of society.

    Join us for a timely discussion of this topic with Lt. Col. Thomas Kenney, outgoing commander of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) on Camp Pendleton North, San Diego, CA and Fellow at the Belfer Center.

    This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants.

    Partner:
    WorldBoston