Fatima Meer, who spent her life battling against state-orchestrated detention, murder and the destruction of political organizations, is the subject of a talk this Thursday at the downtown library.
What: Department of History and Sociology Speaker Series—We Did Not Consent, We Will Not Surrender: Extravagant Protest in a Time of Struggle
Who: Dr. Tiffany Jean Willoughby-Herard, University of California, Irvine
When: Thursday, March 20, 6 to 8 pm
Where: Okanagan Regional Library, Downtown Branch, 1380 Ellis Street
Fatima Meer was a South African anti-apartheid activist, educator and author whose extraordinary story of courage will be explored at a special event at the downtown branch of the Okanagan Regional Library on Thursday.
The Department of History and Sociology with UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences presents Dr. Tiffany Jean Willoughby-Herard in the third installment of its ongoing speakers series. Dr. Herard is an Associate Professor of Global and International Studies at the University of California, Irvine. As a humanistic social scientist and comparative political theorist, her interests span multiple disciplines including African studies, international and global studies, feminism, political science and humanities.
At Thursday’s event, Dr. Willoughby-Herard will focus on the life of Fatima Meer and the revolutionary politics she engaged in. Meer, who was detained herself, used her writings on state terror to upend the notion of a bloodless transition to democracy in 1980s South Africa. She documented state-orchestrated detention, murder and the destruction of political organizations.
As a former student of Meer, Dr. Willoughby-Herard will share the lessons of Meer’s practices of refusal and her unwillingness to give consent—representing a form of extravagant protest.
The Department of History and Sociology Speaker Series began in 2017 in collaboration with the Okanagan Regional Library. It fosters meaningful dialogue by connecting scholars and the community.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit: events.ok.ubc.ca/event/history-and-sociology-speaker-series.
