Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Jan Assmann, Honorary Professor of Cultural and Religious Studies at the University of Constance, for a discussion of his career as a Egyptologist and scholar of comparative religions. After reflections on his formative years in a German medieval town suffering from the ravages of World War II and its aftermath, Assmann describes the community of Egyptologists and the intellectual influences that shaped his scholarship. He also characterizes the...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yale Law School Professor John Fabian Witt for a discussion of the craft of legal history. Topics covered include: understanding context in legal narratives; nationalism and cosmopolitanism in the evolution of civil liberties and tort law; and the importance of slavery, emancipation, and the established laws of nations in the making of Lincoln’s Code, a revolutionary change in U.S. laws of war. The conversation concludes with thoughts on how legal...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Paul Goldberger for a discussion of his intellectual journey, architecture, the role of the critic, and the importance of the city. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29579]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Lord Patten of Barnes, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, for a discussion of the challenges facing political leaders as they manage domestic politics charged with nationalism in an interdependent world. Focusing on the case of the United Kingdom, Lord Patten analyzes these forces and their impact on leadership, on political choices, and on the conduct of elections. He discusses the May, 2015 British elections comparing the leadership styles of...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Daniel B. Rodriguez, Dean of the Northwestern Law School, for a discussion of the challenges facing law schools. Tracing his intellectual journey, Dean Rodriguez discusses his research interests at the interface between federalism, changes in the law and the impact of politics. He then analyzes how a law school dean balances the concerns of students, alumni, practicing attorneys, the bar association and state government while meeting the...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Berkeley’s Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Professor of Business Administration and Economics, for a discussion of inequality. Professor Tyson traces her academic career and her work in Washington where she served as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors in the Clinton Administration. After comparing the Washington political environment during the Clinton and Obama presidencies, she characterizes the role of government as a venture capitalist drawing on...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcome Indian Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor for a discussion of India’s role in world affairs. Tharoor discusses his journey from international civil servant to Indian politician. After analyzing how world order is changing as a result of the changing balance of power from the West to the East and the revolution in communications technology, he then outlines the role India will play as it undergoes major social and economic transformation. He discusses the...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Philip Pettit, of Princeton University and the Australian National University, for a discussion of his book, Just Freedom, A Moral Compass for a Complex World. After tracing his intellectual journey, Professor Pettit outlines his theory of freedom. He also discusses the problem of theory and practice and his experiences with the Spanish government under Prime Minister Zapatero where his theory of civic republicanism became a guide-post for...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes John A. Nagl for a discussion of his life as a scholar/soldier in the U.S. military. After recalling the highlights of his career, Nagl, focusing on the problem of counterinsurgency, analyzes the army’s failings as a learning organization. He discusses the trajectory of military thinking after the Vietnam War and the long struggle to recognize the unconventional ways of warfare conducted by insurgents and terrorists. He describes how a group of...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes author Karin Sveen for a discussion of her book, “The Immigrant and the University: Peder Sather and Gold Rush California.” After describing her intellectual journey as a writer and poet, the conversation turns to a discussion of philanthropist Peder Sather, a Norwegian immigrant, who was one of the founders of the University of California and whose philanthropy left an indelible mark on the University including the Campanile, Sather Gate, endowed...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy and Law, New York University, for a discussion of his intellectual journey. Appiah reminisces about his early years in Ghana and Great Britain focusing on the influence of his parents. After outlining his formal education, he discusses the philosophical problems that have interested him. The discussion then turns to his analysis of identity and cosmopolitanism and the interface between them and concludes...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Ahmet C. Bozer, President of Coca-Cola International, for a discussion of leadership in business. Tracing his intellectual journey, Bozer discusses the skill set and temperament required for leadership; the challenges of navigating between local and global in a multinational corporation; the social dimension of corporate behavior; the importance of shaping a social vision for a corporation; and offers advice to students as they prepare for a future...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes M. Ibrahim Turhan, Chairman and CEO, Borsa Istanbul (Turkish securities exchange) for a discussion of his intellectual journey. Topics covered include: stock exchanges in emerging markets, the interface between Islam and capitalism, and the importance of entrepreneurship in Turkey’s economic success. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 29013]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Svante Pääbo, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, for a discussion of his intellectual journey. Svante Pääbo highlights both the opportunities and obstacles that characterized his 30 year quest to uncover the genome of Neanderthal Man. In the course of his reflections, he elucidates the nature of scientific inquiry and highlights the possible long-term implications of using genetic research to...