Gessen argued that people
need to take the repercussions
of totalitarian regimes seriously,
no matter how preposterous they
seem, rather than risk the great
tragedy that can occur if Western
countries ignore them.
“We’re so rational we don’t
like to believe in things that are
preposterous, and it gives us a lot of
satisfaction to feel more intelligent
and just sort of sniff at things,” she
said. “But it is so much better to
have unjustified fear, to have let
your imagination run wild, than to
have let down your fellow human
beings because you didn’t believe.”
Gessen spoke about how an
entire country could be swayed by
a single ideology. She said Russia’s
past harsh rule has ruined the
people’s ability to hold core values,
and they are therefore susceptible
to the shifting of ideologies.
Totalitarianism, she said, not only
sways public opinion, but renders
people unable to form opinions in
the first place.
Talking
about
Russia
specifically, Gessen said Putin
gained power by appealing to
traditional values.
“The most important thing he
did was back into an ideology,” she
said. “He was trying to paint the
protesters as others and when he
started queerbaiting them, that’s
when it worked. This idea of this
traditional civilization presented
itself, and the idea of the traditional
civilization is a perfectly primitive
and preposterous idea.”
Discussing what the West can
do in response to Russia’s shift back
toward a totalitarian state, Gessen
said leaders should emphasize
a system of politics based on
morals
rather
than
reason.
Specifically with Russia’s position
in the Ukraine, Gessen said it is
important to take action from a
moral standpoint, not a strategic
one. She said the sanctions placed
on Russia by the United States and
Western Europe were logical, but
predictably unsuccessful.
“It goes along with the idea that
we have to be realistic and strategic
and the only reason to do something
is because it’s going to work,” she
said. “What I’m suggesting is the
reason to do something is not that
it’s going to work, but that it’s the
right thing to do.”
LSA
senior
Marion
Berger
said she found the talk very
encouraging as a member of the
LGBTQ community.
“As a queer person, it’s really
inspiring to see another queer
woman on the stage at a big event
like this,” Berger said. “It’s really
remarkable to have role models
like Masha Gessen in the world
and to see them be rewarded for
the incredible work that they do,
especially since this kind of work
often goes unnoticed.”
GESSEN
From Page 1A
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News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Off-campus
housing fair
WHAT: Landlords from
Ann Arbor properties
will participate in an
off-campus housing fair,
where they will discuss
pricing and location for
2016 to 2017 leases.
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Students Office
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327
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MONDAY:
This Week in History
TUESDAY:
Campus Voices
AT NYU, IMAGE RAISES CONTROVERSY
Halloween party draws criticism
WEDNESDAY:
In Other Ivory Towers
After a video projection of what
some claim to have been a silhou-
etted man dying by suicide was
projected at the New York Uni-
versity School of Law’s annual
Fall Ball, a student organization
within the law school wrote an
open letter to its deans in protest,
the Washington Square News
reported Monday.
The organization, called the
Mental Health Law and Justice
Association, wrote in its letter that
other projected images included
displays of interpersonal violence
and violence against women. The
Fall Ball party was Halloween-
themed, and because of that, some
students said the images were
more “Halloween fun” than they
were inappropriate.
“For members of our commu-
nity who have lost someone to
suicide or who have had personal
experiences, this topic is not a
Halloween gimmick,” the letter
states. “We believe that this unfor-
tunate situation is the result of the
stigma surrounding mental health
and widespread misunderstand-
ing of suicide.”
As a result of the letter, the
MHLJA will meet with the law
school administration to discuss
the topic.
UCLA switches meal plan
options
In response to low participation
rates, the University of California,
Los Angeles switched from pro-
viding a supplemental meal plan
for students adhering to kosher
and halal diets to incorporating
those meal options into regular
university dining, the Daily Bruin
reported Tuesday.
Originally, students could buy
the supplemental plans in addition
to their regular meal plans, which
cost about $2,600 for lunch and
dinner meal options. Kosher and
halal foods are those which are
prepared according to the Jewish
and Islamic faiths, respectively.
The dietary laws include restric-
tions on types of meat and food
preparation, for example. UCLA
Dining Services officials stated
that they will refund students who
purchased the supplemental meal
plan, but will continue to offer the
same halal and kosher options for
lunch and dinner until the end of
the quarter.
—EMILY ROBERTS
ANDREW COHEN /Daily
LSA sophomore Sara Lebow, chair of the Voice Your
Vote Commission, hands out pamphlets on the
current City Elections on the Diag on Tuesday.
VOICE YOUR VOTE
THREE THINGS YOU
SHOULD KNOW TODAY
First-generation
students face unique
challenges transitioning
to
college
life.
But
they
also
bring
different
perspectives from a majority
of the campus community.
>> FOR MORE, SEE THE STATEMENT
Amazon will be opening
its first bookstore in
Seattle’s
University
Village,
the
Seattle
Times reported. The company
will be stocking books based
on
data
collected
from
customer ratings, sales totals
and Goodreads popularity.
Jon Stewart (of Daily
Show fame) has signed a
four-year contract with
HBO to produce short-form
digital content for its HBO
NOW and HBO GO platforms,
according to an official post on
the blog site Medium by the
HBO Public Relations team.
3
1
2
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Student organ
recital
WHAT: As part of the
Brown Bag Organ Recital
Series, students will
perform solo organ music.
WHO: School of Music,
Theatre & Dance
WHEN: 12:15 p.m.
WHERE: School of Public
Health, Community Room
Diwali
shadow art
WHAT: As part of Diwali,
a five-day Hindu festival,
Theatre & Drama Prof.
Christianne Myerswill
be hold a workshop on
shadow puppet design.
WHO: North Quad
Programming
WHEN: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
WHERE: North
Quad, Space 2435
Architecture
lecture
WHAT: Architect Jean-
Louis Cohen will be
discussing Soviet and
American architecture.
WHO: College of
Architecture and
Urban Planning
WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Art and
Archtecture Building,
Room 2104
Schlissel
presentation
WHAT: University
President Mark Schlissel
will deliver an address
on ethics in the field
of medicine as part
of the 20th annual
Waggoner Lecture.
WHO: Depression Center
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: University
Hospitals, Ford Auditorium
Complex
phenomena
WHAT: Associate Nursing
Prof. Denise Saint Arnault,
will discuss her research
on gender, cultural and
social influences and their
connection to mental health.
WHO: School of Nursing
WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: School of
Nursing, Room 1330
Hungarian
nationalism
WHAT: Virág Molnár,
an associate professor
of sociology at The New
School for Social Research,
will present on Hungary’s
increasingly right-wing
political sphere and its
effect on industry.
WHO: Department
of Sociology
WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: School of Social
Work Building, Room 1636
Swing dancing
WHAT: Swing Ann Arbor,
a student organization
dedicated to high-quality
swing dance instruction, will
offer a free drop-in lesson.
WHO: Swing Ann Arbor
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan
League, Vandenberg Room
•Please submit corrections
to corrections@
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RITA MORRIS /Daily
Shraddha Bhatawadekar, Nehru-Fulbright Academic and Professional Excellence fellow, discusses the importance
of preserving cultural heritage sites in India at the Museum of Art on Tuesday.
ZOEY HOLMSTROM /Daily
University President Mark Schlissel presents the Wallenberg Medal to Masha
Gessen, Russian and American journalist, author and activist, at Rackham
Auditorium on Tuesday.
Lecture highlights culture
preservation in Mumbai
Fulbright fellow
talks impact of
development on
heritage sites
By ALEXA ST. JOHN
Daily Staff Reporter
Shraddha Bhatawadekar, a
Fulbright-Nehru Academic and
Professional Excellence fellow,
began her presentation on India
with a joke — that the first thing
people often want to know is
how she survives the Michigan
winter.
However,
the
ultimate
goal of Bhatawadekar’s dis-
cussion Tuesday night at the
University was not talking
about Michigan’s climate, but
rather presenting the chal-
lenges
of
maintaining
and
preserving India’s cultural her-
itage in archaeological sites.
The event was sponsored by
the Museum Studies Program
and the Center for South Asian
Studies.
Bhatawadekar, who earned
her bachelor’s degree in his-
tory at Mumbai University,
has worked in archaeology,
research and museum devel-
opment throughout her career.
She is currently in residence at
the University and working on
a research project about com-
municating the significance of
India’s archeological heritage.
Bhatawadekar told attend-
ees that preserving heritage is
crucial, despite the many chal-
lenges that arise while doing so.
Her sentiment was echoed
by Anthropology Prof. Carla
Sinopoli, director of the Muse-
um Studies Program, who said
the program wanted to explore
issues of preserving heritage
from an international perspec-
tive as part of an ongoing series
of talks.
“(We’re) looking at the range
of both threats to heritages and
museums and the responses to
them in the Middle East, South
Asia, Greece, and . . . in our own
backyard,” Sinopoli said.
Speaking
specifically
to
Mumbai, Bhatawadekar empha-
sized the importance of heritage
preservation because of its cul-
tural impact.
“Imagine India without the
Taj Mahal or the world without
one of its wonders,” she said.
Bhatawadekar described her
native city, Mumbai, as a heritage
city, which is defined as a city
that is has particular cultural
importance to a country.
Important heritage sites in
Mumbai include Sopara Stupa,
an ancient port city for interna-
tional trade, the Kanheri Caves,
a center for Buddhist learning,
the Ambreshwar Shiva Temple
and most well known, the Taj
Mahal. Many of these landmarks
are considered World Heritage
Sites by the United Nations Edu-
cational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization and are significant
drivers of India’s tourism indus-
try.
However, Bhatawadekar said
Mumbai is also characterized by
another phenomenon — industri-
al growth. Today the most popu-
lous city in India, the population
of Greater Mumbai has grown to
approximately 12.4 million peo-
ple as of 2011, averaging a den-
sity of about 54,000 people per
square mile.
In cities like Mumbai, the
pressures of urbanization con-
stantly influence the distinction
between the old and the new and
threaten the balance between
conservation and development,
Bhatawadekar said.
Read more of this story online
at michigandaily.com.