Fall 2026 Events
Sponsored by the Walker Institute and McCauseland College of Arts and Sciences
The Walker Institute of International and Area Studies is pleased to present "That Obscure Object of Morality” by our featured speaker, Didier Fassin, an anthropologist, sociologist and physician, and a Professor at the Collège de France.
Anthropologists have long been reluctant with regard to the study of morality, fearing that it would be vitiated by the projection of their own values. The word “moral” is indeed simultaneously and ambiguously descriptive and normative. Yet, in recent years, a rich field of research has developed, mainly in the alternative form of a Durkheimian approach to moral codes inspired by the ethics of duty and a Foucauldian interpretation of moral subjectivation inherited from the ethics of virtue.
The lecture will analyze the emergence of these new objects in the study of social life, its resonance with changes in public discourses, and the discussions to which it gave rise.
But a distinct, critical framework will be presented, questioning both the normative dimension of the word “moral”, so as to open to all values and emotions independently of prior evaluation of their merit, and the consistency of the domain of “morality”, considering that what is observable are instead moral issues linked to historical circumstances, cultural sensitivities, social mobilizations, and political stakes.
Case studies from various research in France, South Africa, and the Middle East on humanitarianism, trauma, immigration, policing, punishment, and violence will serve to reflect on concepts of moral sentiments and moral economies, and on their heuristic significance to apprehend some of the difficult questions of our time.
Speaker: Dr. Didier Fassin, Collège de France
Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Location: Capstone House, Campus Room
Sponsored by the Walker Institute and the Folks Center for International Business
The Folks Center's Trade and Diplomacy series, featuring David Firestein, Nic Rogers and Victor Shih (panel discussion with audience Q&A)
China's rapid economic growth continues to produce “shocks” in manufacturing and trade that now include semiconductors, AI, and advanced technologies. This contest between Beijing and the West is reshaping trade policy, foreign investment, and security considerations, forcing governments and companies to rethink long-held strategies. This forum brings together leading scholars and policy practitioners to examine how China's strategic objectives are evolving, and how the U.S. and other countries are adapting and competing in response. Join us for a clear-eyed look at one of the defining issues shaping our world.
Speakers: David Firestein, Victor Shih, Nic Rogers
Date: Thursday, October 29th
Time: 4:30pm-6:00pm
Location: W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall (Room 101) Darla Moore School of Business
Spring 2026 Events
Sponsored by the University of South Carolina's Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and the Walker Institute
Speakers: Troy Messick (Rutgers); Diti Bhadra (University of Minnesota); Sameer ud Dowla Khan (Reed)
Dates: In-person component on April 10-11; Fully online component on April 18
Location: Russell House, Room 322
Sponsored by the Walker Institute and the Folks Center for International Business
Speakers: James Story (Former US Ambassador to Venezeula); Ed McMullen (Former US Ambassador of Switzerland); Jerry Cheatham (Vice President of Financial Planning for Sonoco)
Date: April 8, 2026
Time: 4:30-6:00pm
Location: DMSB 101 (Hootie Johnson Hall)
A Presentation of New Research and Expert Panel Discussion
Sponsored by the University of South Carolina's Rule of Law Collaborative and Walker Institute
Speakers:
• Dr. Matthew Erie (American University Washington College of Law)
• Michael Kugelman (Atlantic Council)
• Dr. Aparna Pande (Hudson Institute)
• Nilanthi Samaranayake (East-West Center in Washington)
• Crispin Smith (Centre for Information Resilience)
Date: March 24, 2026
Time: 10:30am-12:00pm
Location: United Methodist Building (100 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, DC)
Date: February 12, 2026
Time: 7:00
Location: The Nick
Fall 2025 Events
Michael McFaul: Former US Ambassador to Russia, Stanford Professor, and New York Times best-selling author
Date: October 22, 2025
Location: Hootie Johnson Hall (DMSB 101)
Co-Sponsors: The Walker Institute, Folks Center for International Business, Department of Anthropology, with generous support from the Rachel and Jim Hodges Fund
Courtney-Savali Andrews (Oberlin College)
Date: October 17, 2025
Time: 1:10 PM
Location: School of Music Room 006
Courtney-Savali Andrews (Oberlin College)
Date: October 16, 2025
Time: 10:05 - 11:20 AM
Location: Music Building 210 or Zoom QR Code
Co-Sponsors: The Walker Institute, School of Music, and Dept. of African American Studies
Spring 2025 Events
Date: Tuesday March 25th, 6:00 PM
Location: Walker Conference Room, Gambrell Hall 431
Fall 2024 Events
Kwame Dawes: Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Novelist, Guggenheim Fellow, Emmy Award Winner
Date: November 1, 2024
Location: Gambrell Hall
Co-Sponsors: The Walker Institute, Dept. of African American Studies, Center for Civil Rights History and Research
Date: October 28, 2024
Location: Virtual Event
Ambassador James Story
Date: October 14, 2024
Location: Gambrell 431
Description:
James “Jimmy” Story served as the Ambassador for the Venezuela Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota from November 18, 2020, to May 19, 2023. He is now a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University and has held various diplomatic roles, including Chargé d’Affaires in Curacao, Eswatini, and Angola, as well as in Venezuela during its operational suspension. Story's previous positions include Consul General in Rio de Janeiro and Director for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. A Senior Foreign Service Officer, he has served in multiple international roles and received numerous awards for his service. He grew up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and Georgetown University, and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. He is married to Susan West Story