Pardee Faculty Speak on BU Alumni Panel on Post-Truth
Faculty from the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University spoke at a November 16, 2017 panel hosted by the BU Alumni Association in collaboration with the Pardee School on the state of the country one year after the 2016 presidential election.
The panel, entitled “Politics in a Post-Truth America,” featured Pardee School Dean Adil Najam, Pardee School Professor of International Relations and History Igor Lukes, and BU Professor of Political Science Neta Crawford.
The three panelists discussed how the country stands one year after the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as whether the concept of post-truth has changed politics in the United States. The conversation started with the panelists defining post-truth, examining whether post-truth is new or predates the 2016 presidential election, and how the concept has changed politics over the last year.
The panelists agreed that the concept of post-truth itself is not new, but that there is something different in the current manifestation of the phenomenon particularly when considering scale and the role of technology.
Lukes discussed the history of post-truth and politics in the United States and Europe. Crawford argued that post-truth has manifested itself differently following the 2016 presidential election, and that hope rests in the public’s ability to look through misinformation. Najam said the effect of post-truth on politics has changed following the 2016 elections due to the role of technology, particularly the internet, in lulling people into asking fewer questions.