Night of Ideas 2025 - female Voices on Progress, Setbacks and Oppression
The Night of Ideas is an annual nocturnal marathon of philosophical debates, performances, readings and more, that is hosted in cities across the United States between March 27th and April 6th. Speakers from various backgrounds and disciplines will discuss a subject that reflects on the general theme ''Common Ground'.
Events will feature late-night discussions addressing major global issues, plus live music, screenings, performances, and more. Exploring the expression çommon ground’s literal and metaphorical interpretations, Night of Ideas will prompt participants to consider how we can commit to and protect what we have in common. How can we foster authentic interpersonal connection in an increasingly digital world? In a polarized political landscape, where are our opportunities for dialogue? As extreme weather threatens our planet, how can we preserve the land beneath our feet? At Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul, our discussion will focus on 'Female voices on Progress, Setbacks and oppression'.
About our speakers
Sharon Marquart is a Professor of French and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College. She is the author of On the Defensive: Reading the Ethical in Nazi Camp Testimonies (University of Toronto Press, 2015), co-editor of a volume of essays on Auschwitz survivor Charlotte Delbo, and her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Routledge Companion to Literature and Trauma, French Forum, H-France Forum, The Romanic Review, Ethnologies, and various essay collections on World War II and the Holocaust.
Mikki Morrissette is the publisher and editor of Minnesota Women’s Press, the longest continuously run feminist publication in the U.S. The monthly magazine created a Changemakers Alliance spin-off to connect engaged feminists of all genders who care about solutions and action. Its attention to first-person narratives is rare in the media industry, to amplify the power of people to tell their own stories in their own voice.
She lived in New York City for 18 years, where she worked as an editor, reporter, and project manager for places including Time Inc. and The New York Times. She wrote “Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Women’s Guide” after proactively deciding to raise two kids on her own; they are now in their 20s.
This program is made possible with the support of :