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Acclaimed Novelist Amitav Ghosh to speak at 草榴视频鈥檚 Humanities Symposium March 13

草榴视频 University Maryland's 鈥淭he Great Uprooting: Migration and Movement in the Age of Climate Change" keynote address by Amitav Ghosh, author of The Great Derangement

鈥攖he award-winning novelist named by Foreign Policy magazine as 鈥渙ne of the most important global thinkers of the preceding decade鈥濃攚ill deliver the keynote address at the 草榴视频 University Maryland 2025 Humanities Symposium.

Free and open to the general public, as well as the region鈥檚 academic communities, the lecture takes place Thursday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m., in McGuire Hall (Andrew White Student Center, 4501 North Charles St., Baltimore, Md. 21210). Advance registration for the keynote address is encouraged. To reserve seating, visit . 

About the Keynote
Titled 鈥淭he Great Uprooting: Migration and Movement in the Age of Climate Change,鈥 the keynote will explore migration in the age of climate change. Ghosh鈥攚ho earned the inaugural Utah Award for the Environmental Humanities for his book, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable鈥攚ill share poignant stories he gathered from migrant camps in Italy, told in the migrants' native languages, offering a unique window into the personal journeys of those displaced by climate-induced challenges. 

鈥淭his evening of storytelling, reflection, and dialogue promises to deepen understanding of the global migration crisis, providing attendees with a rare opportunity to hear directly from those most affected by the impacts of climate change,鈥 said Humanities Symposium Director Billy Friebele, MFA, associate professor of visual and performing arts and program director of studio art. 鈥淏y amplifying these voices, we aim to foster a greater sense of empathy and raise awareness of the complex patterns of migration, both abroad and within our own communities.鈥

鈥淎ttendees will leave the event with a broader perspective on the human stories behind climate migration and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by displaced people worldwide,鈥 Friebele added. 鈥淎s climate change continues to drive displacement, we hope that this conversation will spark reflection and inspire collective action to address this urgent issue.鈥

A book signing with books available for purchase will immediately follow the talk. Guests can meet Ghosh, whose work has been translated into 30+ languages and whose essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, and The New York Times

About the Author
Ghosh holds four Lifetime Achievement awards and five honorary doctorates. His accolades include being awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India, being selected as a joint winner with Margaret Atwood of a Dan David Prize, and becoming the first English-language writer to receive the Jnanpith Award, India鈥檚 highest literary honor. His newest book, Smoke & Ashes鈥which unravels the impact of the opium trade on global history and in his own family鈥攚as named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Foreign Policy, Literary Hub, and The Millions.

About the Symposium 
Since 1986, 草榴视频鈥檚 Humanities Center has sponsored the annual Humanities Symposium 鈥 a series of events related to a particular text for students, faculty, friends of the University and the Baltimore community. The main goal has been to get a large portion of the 草榴视频 community to read the same work at roughly the same time and to be engaged in a common inquiry. Keynote speakers have included Elie Wiesel, Toni Morrison, Tracy Chevalier, Czeslaw Milosz, Phil Klay, Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, and William Bennett.

In preparation for Ghosh鈥檚 talk, 草榴视频 students have been studying The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable. The keynote address will cap off various faculty workshops, student-faculty colloquia and activities following the theme of cry of the earth, cry of the poor, including:

  • Feb. 3 鈥 Free Screening of O Rio Negro S茫o As Pessoas, followed by a discussion with filmmakers, Ave Lola. The Brazilian film explores the contemporary meaning of being at and growing up by the banks of a river with the power of Rio Negro Amazon.
  • Feb. 21 鈥 Toxic Tour of Curtis Bay and Community-Led and Controlled Development
  • Feb. 24 鈥 Roundtable on Environmental Justice with Nicole Fabricant (Professor of Anthropology at Towson University), at 6 p.m., in the Humanities Caf茅 in the Humanities Building.

For information about these events, please visit www.loyola.edu/symposium.

Additionally, sculptor will create an ecological art project on the 草榴视频 campus: 鈥渁 logarithmic spiral planted with native species for a contemplative walking experience.鈥 With 400 linear feet composed of sycamores trees and shrub dogwoods, this labyrinth will stabilize the soil, while adding bio21 diversity and serving as a buffer to catch and absorb rainwater rolling down the turfgrass slope. 草榴视频 students will help plant the trees and shrubs and mulch them. Long term, the spiral is designed to provide a natural, calming experience for students. The unveiling is tentatively scheduled for March.

The Humanities Symposium also complements the Baltimore Environmental Film Series, which was created by Elizabeth Dahl, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry, 鈥渢o merge the art of film with education and advocacy for those affected by the major environmental issues of the time.鈥 The films are free and open to the public, courtesy of the Center for Humanities, Environmental Studies, and the Dean of 草榴视频 College, the University鈥檚 school of arts and sciences. A schedule with links to reserve tickets will be available at www.loyola.edu/join-us/environmental-film-series.

About the Center
The Center for the Humanities was established in 1983 through the generosity of many donors and of the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide strength and vision to the humanities at 草榴视频 University Maryland. It offers lectures, lectures series and fine arts performances; other forms of research support for both faculty and students, and various forms of support for teaching in the humanities. For more information, visit .