„The West: A New History of an Old Idea“: How the Idea of the „West“ Shapes Our History and Present, and what it has to do with Exclusion and Racism.

Book Presentation and Discussion with Naoíse Mac Sweeney

Washington, Library of Congress. Sixteen bronze statues of venerable men, meant to represent the birth of „Western civilization“, look down upon historian and archaeologist Naoíse Mac Sweeney. Where does she, as a woman from a migrant background, find her place in this narrative?

Naoíse Mac Sweeney decides to write a different history of the „West“. In her story, Herodotus does not appear as the „father of history“ but as a migrant fleeing from the Turkish province. She tells of a powerful Roman matriarch, an Islamic scholar, a Greek crusader, and an enslaved girl in the new America.

Her narrative shows that the concept of the „West“ was invented to justify exclusion and racism—and continues to serve that purpose to this day.

To register, please contact: Hanna Reiner, h.reiner@oefse.at

The event will be held in English and is a cooperation between the C3 organizations ÖFSE, Baobab and Frauen*solidarität.

Naoíse Mac Sweeney was born in London to Chinese and Irish parents. She is a professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna. Her research focuses include Greek migration and colonization as well as the use of classical antiquity in contemporary political discourse. She has received numerous academic awards for her work on classical antiquity. „The West“ is her first book for a wider audience.

The event is moderated by Christina Schuster.

Christina Schuster is a literary and cultural studies researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Vienna. Her earlier research interests were in contemporary North American literature and Ecocriticism, in particular in light of post-apocalyptic and destructive narratives, and the interplay of environment and interpersonal relationships.
In her PhD project, this interest in surroundings moved online and developed into an interdisciplinary and intersectional investigation of the representations and constructions of gender, bodies and sexualities in fannish narratives. In expanding her academic work to anti-racism and with the wish to engage with a wider audience, Christina co-organizes a series of panel discussions („Kritisches Podium“) which examine and work against racism in different areas focussing previously on higher education, digital spaces, repositories and the transfer of knowledge.