Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen

Creating from (False) Fundamentals (Sarah Lewis, PhD)

Sep 19, 2024

Dr. Sarah Lewis, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Humanities at Harvard, discusses her groundbreaking work on race and creativity. She explores the origins of the term ‘Caucasian’ and how it shapes modern perceptions of identity. Lewis emphasizes the role of failure and playfulness in the creative process, which is crucial for mastering one’s craft. The conversation also delves into the historical roots of whiteness, the importance of reevaluating narratives, and the complex interplay of race, beauty, and societal representation.

54:35

Episode guests

Sarah Lewis

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Dr. Sarah Lewis emphasizes the importance of critically analyzing the flawed historical concepts of race, particularly the term 'Caucasian,' to understand its modern implications.

The creative process thrives on experimentation and embracing failure, as shown by innovators who achieve breakthroughs by exploring beyond traditional boundaries.

Deep dives

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Intro

5min

Exploring Race and Creativity

10min

The Role of Play and Community in Mastery and Mental Health

5min

The Myth of Whiteness: A Historical Analysis

9min

Reinterpreting Historical Narratives and Whiteness

4min

Creativity, Race, and Visual Legacy

8min

Unraveling Historical Narratives and Complicity in Inequality

5min

The Intersection of Race and Beauty

8min

Exploring Enduring Creativity and Historical Insights

5min

Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis has one of the most illustrious resumés of all the guests on Pulling the Thread—and I think we’re the same age. Lewis is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University where she serves on the Standing Committee on American Studies and Standing Committee on Women, Gender, and Sexuality. It was at Harvard that Lewis pioneered the course Vision and Justice: The Art of Race and American Citizenship, which she continues to teach and is now part of the University’s core curriculum—as it were, Lewis is the founder of Vision & Justice, which means that she is the organizer of the landmark Vision & Justice Convening, and co-editor of the Vision & Justice Book Series, launched in partnership with Aperture. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, she held curatorial positions at The Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Tate Modern, London. She also served as a Critic at Yale University School of Art. I’m not done—in fact, I could go on and on. She’s the author of The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery, a book on Carrie Mae Weems, and innumerable important academic papers. Today, we talk about The Rise and how it dovetails in interesting ways with her brand-new book, The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America, which is about the insidious idea that white people are from the Caucasus, a.k.a. Caucasian—an idea that took root in the culture and helped determine the way we see race today.

MORE FROM SARAH ELIZABETH LEWIS, PhD:

The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America

The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery

Carrie Mae Weems

Sarah Lewis’s Website

Vision & Justice

Follow Sarah on Instagram

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