Endangered Speciousness: The Importance of the Public Realm

David Banks

David Banks will explore the various ways real (and fictional) built space is used to control dissenters, manipulate discourse, and maintain the hegemonic authority of hierarchical systems of dominance. This presentation will take examples from real cities such as Berkeley, California, Los Angeles California, New York, New York, Sarasota, Fl, and many others. Graphic novels have been one of the few genres that have truly taken advantage of the city’s physical form as a topic of inquiry. Therefore, we will also examine the city as it is portrayed in graphic novels such as V for Vendetta, Superman: Red Son, and the Transmetropolitan series. After being introduced to these various case studies, the presentation will move into an analysis of commonalities within each example, and finally a synthesis of how to create places that enhance individual freedoms, rather than diminish them.The presentation will end with plenty of time for discussion and group analysis of the topics presented.