In the Forum

Suzanne Preston Blier

In the Forum this week is a post on animals and art by Suzanne Preston Blier, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Professor of Fine Arts and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Blier is interested in the boundaries between humans and other animals, and asks what we might learn from the ways we imaginatively recreate animal lives. Drawing attention to the work of the Yoruba–one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa’s most highly populated nation–Blier notes that this Nigerian culture is widely celebrated for its chimeras, fictional animals incorporating elements of the human and nonhuman. Blier raises various questions about these human-animal crossings, wondering what we should make of them and asking how, if at all, they should inform our inquiries into the animal kingdom?

Blier, whose books include: Butabu: Adobe Architecture in West Africa (2004), Art of the Senses: Masterpieces from the William and Bertha Teel Collection (Editor 2004), African Royal Art: The Majesty of Form (1998), African Vodun: Art, Psychology, and Power (1995) and The Anatomy of Architecture: Ontology and Metaphor in Batammaliba Architectural Expression (1987), is a specialist in African art and architecture. She serves on the editorial board of Harvard Magazine and on the board of the Society of Architectural Historians. From 2005-2008, she was Chair of the Editorial Board of the Art Bulletin.

Please join our discussion.

In the News

In the News is a monthly round-up of research news. We try to provide two links for each story, the scholarly record of the research and a popular media account to illustrate how the research is being interpreted for the public. In the News is compiled by Stephen Zachary. Read more.

Forum Calendar

Scroll ahead to see which week you’ll be able to engage your favorite Contributor. It’s a distinguished list, including:

Terry Deacon
Harriet Ritvo
Patricia Churchland
Elliott Sober
Margaret Boden
Frans de Waal

Recent events

The Human Spark is a PBS series exploring our evolutionary history. An examination of commonalities between us and other animals, it also emphasizes the ways in which we differ from other species. The episodes are playing on Wednesday evenings this winter on local channels around the country. Alan Alda is host and the first episode is called “So Human, So Chimp.”

Check your local listings.