Lecture by Steven Salaita

Professor of English and Comparative Literature, American University in Cairo

In this talk, Steven Salaita will draw on his recent memoir, An Honest Living, to explore questions of honesty and dishonesty on campus. Is it possible for a professor to pursue an honest living? What might it look like? Conversely, are there forms of dishonesty that can be considered ethical or necessary amid the predominant cultures of academe? Salaita will consider these questions through analysis of labor, inequality, alienation, and political violence on and off campus.  

Books will be available for purchase from Amherst Books following the event.

Steven Salaita is professor of English and comparative literature at the American University in Cairo. His most recent books are a memoir, An Honest Living, and a novel, Daughter, Son, Assassin. He writes at stevesalaita.com.  

The James Baldwin Lecture is addresses issues connected to social, economic, and political justice and underpinnings in institutional racism. The lecture honors the late James Baldwin, who taught at UMass for several years. It was established by and made possible with generous support from history department alumnus Allen J. Davis '68. The lecture is co-presented by the Department of History, the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, and the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. 

This lecture is presented in conjunction with the 2024-25 Feinberg Series, What Are Universities For?, which is exploring the historical roots of present-day political, economic, and ethical crises in higher education. It is presented by the UMass Amherst Department of History in partnership with numerous co-sponsors. Read the history department statement on the sponsorship of events.

Baldwin Lecture Contact: Professor Toussaint Losier, tlosier@umass.edu