The 91tvӰԺ College of Arts and Sciences and Judy Genshaft Honors College welcomed law and ethics professor and Carl F. Cranor Visiting Scholar Dr. Cathleen Kaveny for its recent Frontier Forum lecture series held at the Judy Genshaft Honors College on Nov. 15.
Former 91tvӰԺ President Judy Genshaft (center) joined the evening’s discussion, which was held in the building named in her honor. (Photo by Corey Lepak)
Kaveny, who is visiting as part of the Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) Visiting Scholar Program, is the Darald and Juliet Libby Professor at Boston College, where she has dual appointments in the law school and the theology department. Her work focuses on the intersections of law, religion, and ethics in a divided, pluralistic society.
According to the , since 1956, the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program has been offering undergraduates the opportunity to spend time with some of America's most distinguished scholars. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the intellectual life of the campus by making possible an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholars and the resident faculty and students.
Kaveny’s lecture, “Can We Be Civil? Prophetic Indictment and Call-out Culture in American Public Life,” highlighted civility and call-out culture in American social and political discourse.
Kaveny opened her discussion with an overview of civility and its meaning.
“Very often we limit it to meaning the word polite,” she said. “But actually, if you go to its fundamental root, it means something more than that. It means, in my view, a way of talking to one another that respects each other as equal members of the same political community. It is a language, a way of expressing ourselves that helps you to get on together with the task of living together. That, for me, is what civility fundamentally means, not simply being nice. It’s a much more profound concept than that.”
She drew on a study from the , a non-partisan fact-based think tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.
She highlighted a few key points from the PEW study on American’s views on cancel culture to set up the discussion for the evening, covering four major questions: Who has heard of cancel culture? What do Americans think about cancel culture? What is cancel culture? And, could we build a call-in culture?
While findings indicate that knowledge of cancel culture has increased over recent years, there are vast differences of opinion on how it’s perceived.
Kaveny outlined the divide between those who think of it as a way of “holding people accountable” and those who think of it as a way to “punish people that don’t deserve to be punished.”
“People are shifting in their views of call-out culture as they become aware of it and possibly as they experience it,” she said. “But what are we doing when we call somebody out?”
“Accountability means holding one another responsible to be one's best self,” she said. “While punishment in this context really includes shaming someone.”
She focused on the importance of understating the underlying tensions between viewing it as accountability or punishment.
“Does canceling someone facilitate accountability? Does fear of being canceled facilitate accountability, or does it just encourage you to go back under your shell and not actually explain why you think what you think?” she asked.
She closed out the discussion by expanding on what could done in the future to address the tension of call-out culture by sharing Loretta Ross’ call-in culture. Ross, a civil rights activist and feminist at Smith College, says that calling out is more “public shaming.”
“[Ross] says that an awful lot of conversations on the internet would be more effective if they preceded by calling in rather than calling out,” she says.
Kaveny quoted Ross who says that “‘We have to remember that there is humanity behind the words.’”
“She says a call-in actually is a call-out done with love and respect, because you're really seeking to hold people accountable for the potential harm that they cause. But you're not going to lose sight of the fact that you're talking to another human being. And, so, you extend a hand and active love and active listening to help them stop and think about what they just said. So, I find her work very inspiring because it isn't simply saying we don't hold one another accountable or everything is just punishment, what she is saying is there is a way to hold one another accountable that calls them into the conversation and acknowledges them as a fellow human being with whom one is making a community.”
91tvӰԺ students Hannah Craig, majoring in criminology and psychology with a minor in sociology, and Anna Gustafson, majoring in political science, led a question-and-answer discussion with Kaveny on the topic alongside CAS Interim Dean Magali Michael.
(From left) 91tvӰԺ CAS Interim Dean, Magali Michael, 91tvӰԺ student Hannah Craig, Dr. Kaveny,
and 91tvӰԺ student Anna Gustafson engage in a question-and-answer session following Dr.
Kaveny’s opening remarks. (Photo by Corey Lepak)
Attendees had a chance to speak with Dr. Kaveny following the discussion during the
book signing portion of the evening. (Photo by Corey Lepak)
“My main worry and concern about cancel culture is that I just don’t think it works for changing people’s minds and hearts,” she said. “If you’re in a context where you’re cancelling someone, calling them out and humiliating then, I don’t think you’re going to be in a position where you’re creating a possibility of them listen to you with an open heart.”
The evening closed with Kaveny taking some time to speak with attendees and sign copies of her latest book, “A Culture of Engagement.”
Learn more about future Frontier Forum lecture series speakers.