Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Fredric Jameson was a prolific cultural theorist and literary critic known for his unflinching analysis of fascism steeped in his own Neo-Marxist theoretical framework. This panel follows the relevance of Jameson's writings on globalization for the present political moment where a resurgence of far-right actors is leading to a new stage of late fascism.
Discussants include:
• Ryan Kerr of Broward College
• Suvij Sudershan from Yale University
• Jini Kim Watson of New York University
Chairs: Yubeen Lim & Carson Welch
ON THE CONFERENCE: Fredric Jameson (1934–2024) insisted on “imagining a future which might be radically and constitutionally other.” The urgency of this task rested on his understanding of Critical Theory “as a way of keeping the negative alive in a period in which praxis, the unity of the negative and the positive, itself seems suspended.” Over the years, Critical Theory has received scholarly and popular attention; it has simultaneously been pronounced dead and an enduring threat. We invited scholars, including students, to join us at Duke University for a three-day celebration of Fredric Jameson’s enduring legacy—and to keep imagining, with him, the future of Critical Theory.
Fredric Jameson was a prolific cultural theorist and literary critic known for his unflinching analysis of fascism steeped in his own Neo-Marxist theoretical framework. This panel follows the relevance of Jameson's writings on globalization for the present political moment where a resurgence of far-right actors is leading to a new stage of late fascism.
Discussants include:
• Ryan Kerr of Broward College
• Suvij Sudershan from Yale University
• Jini Kim Watson of New York University
Chairs: Yubeen Lim & Carson Welch
ON THE CONFERENCE: Fredric Jameson (1934–2024) insisted on “imagining a future which might be radically and constitutionally other.” The urgency of this task rested on his understanding of Critical Theory “as a way of keeping the negative alive in a period in which praxis, the unity of the negative and the positive, itself seems suspended.” Over the years, Critical Theory has received scholarly and popular attention; it has simultaneously been pronounced dead and an enduring threat. We invited scholars, including students, to join us at Duke University for a three-day celebration of Fredric Jameson’s enduring legacy—and to keep imagining, with him, the future of Critical Theory.
