NOAM CHOMSKY TO APPEAR IN UA CONVERSATION WITH TONI MASSARO

The University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and The Loft Cinema have partnered to provide two unique events with world-renowned scholar and political critic Noam Chomsky.

On Nov. 9, University of Arizona Professor Noam Chomsky will have a conversation with Regents’ Professor Toni Massaro about social justice and the environment. (Tickets are now available here or at the Centennial Box Office.) On November 10, he will receive The Loft Film Fest’s Lofty Achievement Award.

“We have been pleased to offer several popular, public events featuring Chomsky in previous years,” said John Paul Jones III, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “But these two events will be our first time officially welcoming him into the community now that he is a UA faculty member and fellow Tucsonan.”

Noam Chomsky. Photo by John de Dios

Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Chomsky is one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world. Chomsky has written more than 100 books, his most recent being Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power. An ardent free speech advocate, Chomsky has published and lectured widely on U.S. foreign policy, Mideast politics, terrorism, democratic society and war. Chomsky, who joined the UA faculty this fall, is a laureate professor in the Department of Linguistics in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He also holds the title of Agnese Nelms Haury Chair, which is sponsored by the Agnes Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice.

Noam Chomsky has appeared in more than 20 documentary films, making a unique contribution to the capacity of film to educate, inspire and move audiences to action. Notable films include: Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992), which was based on Chomsky’s 1988 book with Edward Herman; Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? (2013), a French animated documentary film by Michel Gondry about Chomsky; and Requiem for the American Dream (2015), which is based on Chomsky’s recent book.

“The Haury Conversation: Noam Chomsky Talks With Toni Massaro” will be moderated by Massaro, the Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law and the former dean of the James E. Rogers College of Law. She also serves as the chair of the program advisory council of UA’s Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice. The program helped fund Chomsky’s position on campus and is the named sponsor of the Nov. 9 discussion. The discussion will include questions from the audience.

The conversation will be held on Nov. 9 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Centennial Hall. Tickets – $15 for the public – are available online or at the Centennial Hall box office (use promo code CHOMSKY). Students may purchase $10 tickets at the Centennial Hall box office.

“Many of the issues Chomsky writes and speaks about are of great public concern and, whether you agree with him or not, his perspective will make you think,” said Jones. “I anticipate a spirited discussion between Massaro and Chomsky on a range of topics that could include the refugee crisis, political conflict, democracy, capitalism, climate change and social inequality.”

On Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at The Loft Cinema, Chomsky will receive the 2017 Lofty Achievement Award, given annually at the Loft Film Fest. The award will be presented at a 25th anniversary screening of Manufacturing Consent. This award-winning documentary showcases Chomsky’s message of how government and big media businesses cooperate to produce an effective propaganda machine in order to manipulate public opinions.

Individual tickets to Manufacturing Consent and passes to the 2017 Loft Film Festival are available at loftfilmfest.org or at The Loft Cinema box office.

The Loft Film Fest is a project of the nonprofit Loft Cinema and is presented by Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Loft Cinema is located at 3233 E. Speedway in Tucson.

“We are thrilled to partner with the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences to bring these two events with Noam Chomsky to the community. Professor Chomsky’s contribution to modern thought would be hard to overstate, and we are honored to present him with the Lofty Achievement Award for his impact on film, both as a subject and an inspiration,” said Peggy Johnson, executive director of The Loft Cinema.