Noam Chomsky, Anthony Arnove to honor life’s work of Howard Zinn at SUNY New Paltz

» View the recording of the “Honoring Howard Zinn” live-streamed event

NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York at New Paltz announces that Noam Chomsky, noted author and philosopher, and Anthony Arnove, filmmaker and editor, will make presentations on Sunday, Dec. 4, in Lecture Center 100 in tribute to the legacy and life’s work of the late Howard Zinn (1922-2010), American historian, activist and playwright.

This event titled “Honoring Howard Zinn: An Historian Who Made History” will be held from 4 – 6 p.m. Attendance is free and open to the public. Presentations by Chomsky and Arnove will consider Zinn’s leading role in promoting peace and social justice in the contemporary world. A question-and-answer session will follow.

This event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and co-produced with Mark Rausher and the Rosendale Theatre Collective.

Chomsky will meet with students earlier in the day for a question-and-answer session.

“The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at SUNY New Paltz is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of this event,” said James Schiffer, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “Noam Chomsky is without question one of the most important public intellectuals of our time, the father of modern linguistics and an outspoken critic of American foreign and domestic policy. Even those who disagree with his political views appreciate his commitment to the free and open exchange of ideas. This is a wonderful chance for our students, faculty, and the broader community to hear Professor Chomsky speak about the life and work of his close friend Howard Zinn.”

Zinn, who played a pivotal role in American civil rights and anti-war movements, wrote more than 20 books, including his best-selling and influential “A People’s History of the United States.” His memoir, “You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train,” was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn’s life and work. He was Professor of Political Science at Boston University from 1964 to 1988.

Chomsky is an author, philosopher, activist, and Institute Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Besides his revolutionary work in linguistics, Chomsky is internationally recognized as a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy, the neoliberal turn of global capitalism, and mainstream corporate media.

Arnove, author, editor and filmmaker, has collaborated with Zinn and Chomsky on several projects. Arnove wrote and produced “The People Speak,” a documentary film based on Zinn’s “People’s History;” co-edited with Zinn the companion, “Voices of People’s History of the United States;” and edited “The Essential Chomsky.”

“Howard Zinn’s vision of social justice–rooted in civil protest and a deep questioning of how history is told–is more relevant than ever,” said Benjamin Junge, assistant professor in the department of anthropology. “The ongoing ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests show us that this vision is alive and thriving, and that, as Zinn famously wrote, ‘Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.’ Noam Chomsky’s ongoing critiques of corporate mass media and free-market capitalism honor the spirit of Zinn’s thinking.”

A Facebook page has been set up for this event (http://on.fb.me/newpaltz-zinn). All are encouraged to use this site to indicate whether they plan to attend and to suggest questions for Chomsky and Arnove. The Facebook page also contains information on several events in November, which have been organized by faculty and students to explore Howard Zinn’s legacy for social-justice activism.