ConneXions | Webinar Series | The Importance of Epics for Cultural Cohesion

In this session students will be introduced to several famous works of World Literature while gaining an understanding of how these classics have been politically repurposed centuries after they were written. The medieval Italian epic poem, The Divine Comedy, for example, experienced a revival during the 19th century when its author, Dante Alighieri, came to be seen as a prophet of Italy’s eventual unification. Dante’s great resurgence during the Risorgimento period is a strong example of how literature can play a key role in the creation of cultural cohesion. In this session we will investigate the Romantic idea of the epic genre in particular as the presumed reflection of national essence. In this regard, Italy is well-represented by both Virgil’s Aeneid and Dante’s Divine Comedy. Not every country, however, has a text that successfully functions as what Nicolas Shumway terms a “guiding fiction,” that is, a narrative that gives individuals a sense of nation, peoplehood, collective identity, and national purpose. Join this webinar to find out how Argentina’s epic, Martín Fierro, fostered a mythology of exclusion rather than inclusion. Students will then be asked to reflect on the Indian context.

At FLAME University, liberal education helps students become worldly and well-rounded, by acquiring the cultural awareness needed to excel in today’s global society. To introduce students to world famous works of literature and familiarize them with cultural politics, we are here with the third session in our most-awaited webinar series, ConneXions: A well-curated lecture series that helps students discover the value of interdisciplinary thinking in today's challenging world. Thought leaders and industry experts from different industries are invited to these sessions as guest speakers to impart their knowledge and experience to the participants. These sessions are open to all to learn and seek guidance from our esteemed guests.

Prof. Heather Sottong, Faculty of Literary & Cultural Studies, FLAME University, received her PhD and MA in Italian Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition, she also has two undergraduate degrees, a Laurea in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the Università degli Studi di Firenze (Italy) and a Bachelor’s degree in German Literature from the University of Notre Dame. At FLAME she teaches Shakespeare, European Literature, World Literature, and Academic Writing. She specializes in medieval and Renaissance literature in comparative contexts and the literary appropriation of Dante in the Americas. Her research and publications focus on the Divine Comedy's role in 19th- and 20th-century Argentine letters and politics. Her most recent publications include a chapter in Iberoamerican Neomedievalisms, published by ARC Humanities Press (2023), and the article "‘The Hero of Two Worlds’: The Equestrian Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi in Buenos Aires, Argentina," in Italian American Review, 12.1 (2022).

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