Date: Thursday 18 February 2016
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Craig Calhoun
Chair: Emran Mian

The world is given its contours, reality and limits partly by how it is imagined. Creativity, unrealistically ‘utopian’ thought and even the celebration of illusory ‘golden ages’ perform important roles alongside critical analysis of material conditions and practical possibilities. Art, religion, and social movements each play a vital part, though the power of imagination – and failures of imagination - extends even more widely.

This lecture is given ahead of this year's LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival, which will be taking place from Monday 22 - Saturday 27 February 2016 with the theme "Utopias".

Craig Calhoun (@craigjcalhoun) is Director and President of LSE. He is a world-renowned social scientist whose work connects sociology to culture, communication, politics, philosophy and economics. He took up his post as LSE Director on 1 September 2012, having left the United States where he was University Professor at New York University and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge and President of the Social Science Research Council.

Emran Mian (@emranmian) is the Director of the Social Market Foundation, and author of Send In The Idiots and The Banker’s Daughter.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSELitFest

For any queries see LSE Events FAQ or contact us at events@lse.ac.uk or 0207 955 6043.

Podcasts & Videos are now available online for many events from the 2016 LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 'Utopias' which took place from Monday 22 - Saturday 27 February. LSE’s 8th Literary Festival explored the power of dreams and the imagination and the importance of idealism, dissidence, escapism and nostalgia, as well as the benefits of looking at the world in different ways with speakers including David Aaronovitch, AC Grayling, Robert Harris, Tom Holland, Margaret Macmillan, Anna Pavord and Zoe Williams.

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from Can Imagination Change the World?

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.

Twitter and Facebook

You can get immediate notification on the availability of an event podcast by following LSE public lectures and events on Twitter, which will also inform you about the posting of transcripts and videos, the announcement of new events and other important event updates. Event updates and other information about what's happening at LSE can be found on the LSE's Facebook page.

CPD

This event has been certified for CPD purposes by the CPD Certification Service. Self-Assessment Record forms will be made available for delegates wishing to record further learning and knowledge enhancement for Continuing Personal and Professional Development (CPD) purposes. For delegates who wish to obtain a CPD Certificate of Attendance, it is the responsibility of delegates to register their details with a LSE steward at the end of the event and as of 1 September 2014 a certificate will be sent within 28 days of the date of the event attended by the CPD Certification Service. If a delegate fails to register their details at the event, it will not prove possible to issue a certificate. (For queries relating to CPD Certificates of attendance after a request please phone 0208 840 4383 or email info@cpduk.co.uk).

LSE Literary Festival 2016