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4th International Symposium
Primo Levi, The West and the Rest:
Postcolonial Perspectives After Auschwitz
 New York, NY - September 29, 2010 - The 4th edition of the Centro Primo Levi International Symposium held in collaboration with the Asia Society and the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University will take place on October 26th and 28th between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, NYC. Admission is free. Reservations are recommended at 212-517-ASIA (2742).
Each year, the theme of the International Symposium takes as its starting point the analysis of a particular translation of Primo Levi's books. Scholars from different fields approach Levi from new geographical, linguistic, and cultural perspectives and the analysis of Levi's insights in these untapped contexts creates the premise for new reflection on his work while breaking the barriers to which Auschwitz -- the core of Levi's thought - often remains confined.
The 2010 symposium brings together scholars and practitioners in the humanities and scientific fields to re-examine the work of Primo Levi within the frame of postcolonial discourse. Discussions of some of Levi's key concepts such as "survival" and "gray zone" will be departure points for a debate on justice, witness testimony, and the political use of memory.
The program opens with a panel of preeminent intellectuals who have challenged the relation between the "West" and the "Rest," including Mahmood Mamdani (author of Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror), Marc Nichanian (author of Writers of Disaster: Armenian Literature in the Twentieth Century) and Gayatri Spivak (author of Can the Subaltern Speak?).
It continues with the exploration of the cultural relevance of Levi's work in Japan and Korea.
Levi was among the few international intellectuals who, sixty-five years ago, in the wake of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, opened the discussion on the technological means of mass destruction. Through the years, since the publication of his memoir in Japan, the book has also become a paradigmatic text for the unspoken memory of the discriminated Korean minority living in the country. Speakers on this topic include Marco Belpoliti (curator of the film Primo Levi's Journey) and John Treat (author of Writing Ground Zero: Japanese Literature and the Atomic Bomb). Moderator: Carol Gluck (author of Thinking with the Past: Japan and Modern History).
A panel of Primo Levi's experts entitled "After the Survivor" will discuss Levi's text within the larger context proposed by the symposium. Speakers include Gil Anidjar (author of The Jew, the Arab: a History of the Enemy), Uri Cohen (author of Survival: Senses of Death between the World Wars in Italy and Palestine), Manuela Consonni (author of Resistance and Shoah), and Robert Gordon (author of Outrageous Fortune: Primo Levi, Luck and the Shoah).
Since its first publication in 1947, Levi's best known book, If This is a Man, has been translated in 24 languages, with a circulation of twelve million copies. The Arabic and Farsi editions have been used for readings throughout the Middle East proving to be an important ground for mediation and dialogue.
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October 26 - Gala Concert
Andrea Liberovici e Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
As a tribute to Levi's keen interest in the arts, the Primo Levi Center has established inaugural gala concerts that features the music of an international composers whose work was inspired by or dedicated to Primo Levi. This year the Center presents the American premiere of Andrea Liberovici's The Transparency of the Word, a multimedia work which will be performed by the renowned Nouvel Ensemble Moderne conducted by Lorraine Vaillancourt.
Mr. Liberovici is known for his eclectic collaborations that range from the poet Eduardo Sanguineti to the filmmaker Peter Greenway. The text is by Primo Levi's long time colleague and friend Emilio Jona (freely adapted from Levi's writings) and it is accompanied by a multimedia installation by the Italian shadow-theater company Teatro d'Ombre.
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Listing Information
Centro Primo Levi 4th International Symposium
The Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, NYC
www.primolevicenter.org and www.asiasociety.org
Admission is free but reservations are recommended at 212-517-ASIA (2742).
October 26th
5:00 pm - Primo Levi, The West and the Rest
Marc Nichanian (Sabancı University), Mahmood Mamdani (Columbia University), Gil Anidjar (Columbia University), Uri Cohen (Columbia University), Gayatri Spivak (Columbia University), Manuela Consonni (Hebrew University)
8:00 pm - The Transparency of the Word. Multimedia performance (US Premiere).
Music by Andrea Liberovici, text by Emilio Jona freely based on Primo Levi's writings.
Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne conducted by Lorraine Vaillaincourt
October 28th | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
After the Survivor
Manuela Consonni (Hebrew University), Gil Anidjar (Columbia University), Uri Cohen (Columbia University)
In Translation: Japan and Korea
Carol Gluck (Columbia University), Marco Belpoliti (University of Bergamo), John Treat (Yale University), Robert Gordon (Cambridge University)
Presented by: Centro Primo Levi and the Asia Society in New York in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy, the Consulate General of Canada, and the Cultural Council of Quebec.
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About
Centro Primo Levi is the English Language portal for Italian Jewish studies and community news connecting the Italian Jewish worlds in Italy, Israel, and the US. Based at the Center for Jewish History in New York, CPL serves the academia and the general public through resources, programs, networking, exchange opportunities, and educational initiatives.
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Centro Primo Levi
Alessandro Cassin
Telephone: 917-606-8202
alessandro.cassin@gmail.com
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Asia Society
Elaine Merguerian
Telephone: 212 327-9313
emerguerian@asiasociety.org
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