Democracy Under Pressure: What History Tells Us

Democracy Under Pressure: What History Tells Us

Author: International Festival of Arts & Ideas August 11, 2026 Duration: 56:16
| Historians Elizabeth Hinton, Joanne Freeman, and Beverly Gage sit down with CT Public's Lucy Nalpathanchil to ask: what does the past actually tell us about democracy under strain right now? Drawing on centuries of American history, they explore how democracies have been tested before, what we can learn from those moments, and why understanding the past has never felt more urgent — whether you're a history buff or just trying to make sense of today's headlines. Recorded live at New Ha...

From the vibrant stages and conversations of New Haven's International Festival of Arts & Ideas comes Great Art, Big Ideas, a podcast that captures the festival's spirit of curious collision. Here, a choreographer might explain the geometry of movement alongside a physicist, or a playwright's process illuminates a community's untold history. This isn't a lecture series; it's a collection of dialogues where artistic practice and intellectual inquiry are inseparable, exploring everything from the deeply serious to the delightfully whimsical. Each episode is built on the belief that a novel and a scientific hypothesis can spark similar wonder, and that a performance can challenge assumptions as powerfully as a debate. You'll hear artists, thinkers, and innovators discuss the pressing topics that shape our local communities and the wider world, offering perspectives that often subvert expectations. Tuning into this podcast means accessing the festival's eclectic programming year-round, discovering how a single idea, examined through different lenses, can fundamentally shift your point of view. The conversations are designed to linger, prompting new connections long after the episode ends. It’s for anyone who finds fuel in the space where disciplines meet, where a big idea gives art its resonance and great art makes an idea tangible.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 42

Great Art, Big Ideas
Podcast Episodes
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