New chair supports humanities research at McMaster

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Szeman_Imre.jpg” caption=”Imre Szeman”]Imre Szeman, professor of English, and director of the Institute for Globalization and the Human Condition, has been appointed to the Senator William McMaster Chair in Globalization and Cultural Studies.

Szeman will be honoured at a reception today (Friday, April 1) at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall, Room 111) at McMaster University. He is the first person to hold the chair.

In May 2004, McMaster established five prestigious research chairs in the humanities and social sciences. Research excellence, distinguished and sustained scholarly work and a commitment to education are the main criteria for appointment to a Senator William McMaster Chair.

“Imre is an accomplished scholar and researcher,” said Nasrin Rahimieh, dean of the Faculty of Humanities. “His appointment will certainly enhance McMaster's reputation in the field of cultural studies and globalization.”

Szeman's main areas of research are postcolonial studies, globalization, and cultural theory. He is particularly interested in the way power circulates through culture. For example, how culture can be used to contribute to power or politics or to undermine or challenge it. Currently, he is examining the uses and abuses of visual culture in the era of globalization.

The premiere of the documentary Zizek: The Movie will follow the announcement at 7 p.m. This film explores the eccentric personality and esoteric work of one of the most important and heralded cultural theorists in the world, Slavoj Zizek. The Elvis of cultural theory,' Zizek is known for his dissections of movies such as Fight Club and The Matrix.