Stranger Than Stranger Things: Pop Culture and Worldviews

In her lecture, political scientist and expert on 20th-century and contemporary imperialism Jeanne Morefield takes a critical look at the cultural ideas that shaped the liberal world order of the 20th century. Using examples from pop culture, politics, and the media—ranging from foreign policy visions and Cold War conspiracy theories to the TV series Stranger Things—she demonstrates how stories and fantasies have influenced our conceptions of freedom, power, and global inequality. The lecture invites us to reexamine seemingly self-evident assumptions about democracy and the international order. What cultural and political changes are necessary to effectively counter today’s authoritarian trends?