SINAS Research Seminar: "Public Scholarship at the National Constitution Center: Political Polarization, the US Constitution, and the Strategy of Civil Dialogue."
- Date: 28 April 2025, 15:15–17:00
- Location: Zoom
- Type: Seminar
- Lecturer: Adam Hjorthén
- Organiser: Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS)
- Contact person: Leyla Belle Drake
On Monday, April 28th, Adam Hjorthén (Associate Professor of North American Studies, Uppsala University) will present the draft article "Public Scholarship at the National Constitution Center: Political Polarization, the US Constitution, and the Strategy of Civil Dialogue," at the SINAS Research Seminar.
Description:
The National Constitution Center (NCC) in Philadelphia is the only museum devoted to the US Constitution. Established through an act of Congress in 1988 and opened to the public in 2003, it interprets and disseminates knowledge about the Constitution as law, history, and culture. As a knowledge institution, and like museums in general, the NCC cooperates with academic scholars on its exhibitions, public programming, and civic education initiatives. Today, these scholars and the NCC are tasked with interpreting the Constitution within a polarized political landscape, where some observers argue that the US finds itself in a constitutional crisis. What practices, strategies, and goals are shaping public scholarship on constitutional law and history in the US today? This question is explored through a study of NCC programming in 2020–2024, and on interviews with NCC leadership. At the center of the analysis are the NCC’s strategies for fostering “civil dialogue” as a way of dealing with political divides and current constitutional debates.
The seminar will take place on Zoom. To receive a copy of the text and a Zoom link, email Leyla Belle Drake (leyla.drake@engelska.uu.se).