William Paris

In this conversation, William Paris, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto specializing in utopian thinking, teams up with Anna Abraham, Director of the Torrance Centre for Creativity and Talent Development. They explore why utopian thinking is often dismissed and argue its potential to inspire bold, transformative ideas in democracy. The duo delves into the relationship between creativity and mental health, and how societal perceptions affect creative individuals, while also addressing the implications of generational labels in today’s society.

Panelists William Paris, Nathan Duford, Eduardo Mendieta, and Paul North discuss the relevance of Frankfurt School critical theory in understanding race, gender, and authoritarianism. Topics include the Frankfurt School's amalgam of Marx and Freud, the patriarch as racketeer, the fetishization of suffering, race as a pathology of time, the relationship between gender panic and normativity, and the thinkers who have pushed Frankfurt School critical theory in feminist directions.