In Pursuit of Possibility: Power, Precarity, and Democracy in Decay

In this keynote address, professor, organizer, and artist Dr. Charles H.F. Davis III explores the contemporary landscape of higher education during a period of democracy in decline. Through employing historical anecdotes, data stories, and critical theories of social transformation, Dr. Davis offers a contested analysis of American postsecondary institutions as legitimizing apparatuses for an ostensibly irredeemable democratic project. Power, Precarity, and Democracy in Decay conclude with Dr. Davis’ vision for a praxis of campus abolition and possibilities for reimagining colleges and universities as life-affirming institutions.