Sociologist Ly.nn Owens Lecture on Protest

Former Wes sociology professor Lynn Owens is here on Friday giving a lecture entitled “Mask Not What the Protest Can Do for You: Mask What You Can Do for the Protest”:

ly.nn will be talking about the visual politics of protest, the struggle over the boundary of visibility and surveillance, and the role that masks and cameras play in this production/reproduction.

some of you may recall ly.nn from his days as a wesleyan professor (he now teaches at middlebury). for those who missed out, allow me to give you some background info: ly.nn (yes, the period in the middle of his name is intentional) is the most animated lecturer i have ever experienced. (legend has it that he once got so excited in class, he fell backwards into a trash can.) in our sociology of disaster (!) class, he often bounced around the room, and on occasion would crawl over/under the table while lecturing. he is also tattoo-striped, earning him the somewhat controversial, self-appointed nickname “the black AND white professor.” not to mention he is kind of a bike punk and has done a tremendous amount of research on squatters in amsterdam. what i’m trying to say is: this guy is one of a kind, and he is amazing. plus, you’ll learn something, and college is all about learning.