Jonathan Holslag introduces guest speaker Howard French for lecture on Africa
On Monday 30 May, the VUB and professor Intenational Politics Jonathan Holslag will host Howard French in the Brussels City Hall for a unique lecture. French is a renowned American author and expert in the economic and political history of China and Africa. His lecture entitled 'How to empower Africa? Lessons from history' is the first in what will be a new prestigious VUB lecture series on the current state of the world.
In his lecture, Howard French will highlight the unjustly ignored, crucial role that Africa and Africans played in the emergence of the modern age. According to French, it was not so much expansion into Asia that ushered in the era of the great discoveries, but a desire for contact with sub-Saharan Africa. This would lead to a new model of production and a new form of slavery that transformed the economy of the Atlantic world and set first Europe and then the young United States on the path to becoming the leading global economic powers.
Preview of prestigious lecture series
With French's lecture, the VUB kicks off a series of lectures that aims to give the public a better view of the extraordinary times we are currently living in. In it, great contemporary thinkers and top academic experts from inside and outside their own universities will be invited to shed their light on the global social and economic shift that is currently taking place. In debates, discussions and Q&As, they will comment on the existential challenges of our time and propose possible solutions. The lectures will take place in an exclusive Brussels location for a select audience.
Q & A by Jonathan Holslag
Jonathan Holslag, who proposed Howard French as the first guest speaker in the series, will moderate a Q&A with the author after his lecture. This will of course be in English, as will the whole event.
HOW TO EMPOWER AFRICA? LESSONS FROM HISTORY
What: The first lecture of what will be a prestigious series of lectures on the current state of the world.
Guest speaker: Howard French, renowned author and professor at Columbia University. The Q&A session afterwards will be moderated by Jonathan Holslag, Professor of International Politics at the VUB, China expert and author of several books on world politics.
When: 30 May at 19h00
Where: In the Gothic Hall of Brussels City Hall.
More info and registration here. Attention: the event takes place in English.