In the last few years, a series of “culture wars” have been ignited across the country. Activists from all points of the political spectrum are turning to beloved cultural objects to stake a claim for their differing beliefs in a politically fraught moment.

What is at stake in these conflicts? High Stakes Culture is a series that brings humanities perspectives to bear on current debates. Please join us for two events this fall (Oct. 10 & 24) as we ask: how and why does culture matter so much now?

Today:
Thinking Through Election Overload: Olympic Patriotism V. Election Patriotism?" with Kate Wroblewski (History), Silke Weineck (German, Comparative Literature), Ketra Armstrong (Women’s and Gender Studies, Kinesiology) and moderator Matthew Countryman (Afroamerican & African Studies, Music).

Remember the Olympics? Just a few months ago, Americans from across the political spectrum came together in a three-week ritual of raucous flag waving, chanting, and cheering. But those good feelings barely survived the Closing Ceremonies. Also immediately after the Olympics, a wave of memes announced the "patriotism leaving my body." In an election season marked by sharp division that sometimes feels like a flag-waving competition, please join us for a conversation about belonging in a civil society, about how democracies work, about election division and about sports and patriotism.

We’ll ask questions like:
What is the relationship between sports and patriotism?
What does it mean to feel part of something bigger than yourself?
When is patriotism a good thing and when is it not a good thing?