Workshop: The Imaginary of Disobedience

The Imaginary of Disobedience is a one-day workshop to be held at Duke University on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, 2026. The workshop aims to conceptualize the lineaments of dissent over the last century or so as a global phenomenon. It brings together a range of scholars and artists to explore the connections between heterogeneous sites and contexts through a culture of disobedience. With a particular focus on visual practices-especially photography-the workshop will consider how images shape, record, and reimagine histories of anticolonial and antiauthoritarian resistance.

Featuring presentations by: Martin Berger; Avrati Bhatnagar; Jan Hoffman French; John D. French; Prashant Kidambi; Wing Ki Lee; Gabrielle Moser; Sumathi Ramaswamy; Tom Rankin; Mira Xenia Schwerda; Vazira Zamindar.

The workshop is free and open to faculty, students, and researchers. Registered participants will receive pre-circulated papers in advance of the event.

The workshop is free to attend, but registration is required, as space may be limited.

REGISTER HERE: forms.gle/m2YnbGV1FET8188b9

For the full workshop schedule, go to: sites.google.com/view/disobedientsubjectsexhibit/events/the-workshop