Lunchtime Symposium
3312 Turlington (CES Conference Room)
The Center for European Studies presents: All That Jazz: Europe, the Cold War, and Race
Lisa Booth
Center for European Studies
In 1955 the Everyman Opera Company spent three weeks in the Soviet Union performing Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” The tour, which was funded by the Soviet Union, featured a cast compromised entirely of African Americans and included author Truman Capote as its official historian. This talk will explore the difficulties faced by the performers, the Soviet reception, and the diplomatic intricacies involved in Cold War cultural exchanges, particularly when such exchanges had the potential to highlight racial inequalities in the US.
The Center for European Studies presents this program in partnership with the UF African American Studies Program, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Political Science, and the UF International Center.
