Conversations from the Cullman Center: Illiberal America: Steven Hahn with Linda Gordon
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, a new book on the powerful illiberalism as deep-seated in the American past as the founding ideals
Tonight's program and chat are hosted by YouTube. We value your privacy and want you to understand how you and the Library use this service, particularly that by participating you might give data about yourself. The Library does not control that data. We suggest that you read Google’s Privacy Policy and NYPL's Privacy Policy, especially the section “Third-Party Library Services Providers.” To learn more, please visit this FAQ.
Submit questions via chat, email cullmancenter@nypl.org, or use this Gmail template.
Having issues streaming the video? Try refreshing this page, or click here to watch on YouTube!
The Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021, led many to recoil, thinking, “That’s not us.” But now we must think again, for Steven Hahn shows that illiberalism has deep roots in our past. To those who believe that the ideals announced in the Declaration of Independence set us apart as a nation, Hahn shows that Americans have long been animated by competing values, equally deep-seated, in which the illiberal will of the community overrides individual rights and often protects itself by excluding perceived threats–whether on grounds of race, religion, gender, economic status, or ideology. Today, with illiberalism shaping elections and policy debates, it is urgent to understand this long history and how it bears on the present crisis.
Steven Hahn worked on Illiberal America during his 2020-2021 Fellowship at the Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He will discuss his book with award-winning historian Linda Gordon.
To join in-person | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open around 5:30 PM. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.
To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on this NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Steven Hahn is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian who studies American political and social movements. His acclaimed works include A Nation Under Our Feet and A Nation Without Borders. He teaches at New York University and lives in New York City and Southold, on Long Island.
Linda Gordon has taught at the University of Wisconsin and NYU. Originally an historian of Russia/Ukraine, she published Cossack Rebellions: Social Turmoil in the Ukraine. Turning then to US history, her work focused on the history of gender and family issues, publishing books on the history of birth control, family violence, and welfare. Her story of a vigilante action against Mexican-Americans, The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction, won the Bancroft Prize for best book in American history and the Beveridge Prize for best book on the history of the Western Hemisphere. Her biography of photographer Dorothea Lange won a second Bancroft Prize among other awards. She continued to work on photography with a brief biography of photographer Inge Morath and, with Gary Okihiro, a book on Lange’s never published photographs of the WWII internment of Japanese Americans, which had been impounded by the US Army because of their critical perspective. Her most recent books are Feminism Unfinished: A Short, Surprising History of American Women’s Movements and The Second Coming of the KKK. A new book on 20th-century American social movements will be out in fall 2024. She was a Cullman Center Fellow in 2004-2005.
Tonight's program and chat are hosted by YouTube. We value your privacy and want you to understand how you and the Library use this service, particularly that by participating you might give data about yourself. The Library does not control that data. We suggest that you read Google’s Privacy Policy and NYPL's Privacy Policy, especially the section “Third-Party Library Services Providers.” To learn more, please visit this FAQ.
- Borrow: NYPL Catalog
- E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android
Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!
COVID PROTOCOLS FOR IN-PERSON CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CULLMAN CENTER
The New York Public Library no longer mandates proof of vaccination at indoor public programs. Patrons are strongly encouraged to wear a mask at Conversations from the Cullman Center events.
If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.
In-Person
- Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.
- You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.
- This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. A visual navigation guide is available here.
- Captions and a transcript will be provided.
- Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description.
- You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.
CONNECT WITH US
Sign up for our e-newsletters to stay up to date on upcoming events and Library offerings.
Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.
For all other questions and inquiries, please email cullmancenter@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.
SUPPORT THE LIBRARY
The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.
The Cullman Center is made possible by a generous endowment from Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman in honor of Brooke Russell Astor, with major support provided by Mrs. John L. Weinberg, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Estate of Charles J. Liebman, The von der Heyden Family Foundation, John and Constance Birkelund, and The Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, and with additional gifts from Helen and Roger Alcaly, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, The Arts and Letters Foundation Inc., William W. Karatz, Merilee and Roy Bostock, and Cullman Center Fellows.