From the entertainment realm to higher education, political activists have complained that we live in cancel culture. But what is cancel culture? And what is its impact in the classroom and for democracy. How much is cancel culture a reaction to dis-empowerment and a means of resistance? And what has been the backlash to its successes? [ dur: 58mins. ]

* Sigal Ben-Porath is Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Political Science and Philosophy. She is the author of Making Up Our Mind: What School Choice is Really About, Free Speech on Campus and the book we are discussing Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy.

* Eve Ng is Associate Professor at Ohio University, in the School of Media Arts and Studies and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. She is the author of Cancel Culture: A Critical Analysis and the forthcoming Mainstreaming Gays: Critical Convergences of Queer Media, Fan Cultures, and Commercial Television.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin, Mihika Chechi, and Sudd Dongre.