There are endlessly conflicting views about cultural authority these days. For perspective we need an enlightened scholar to sort it out--and find her in Sarah Lawrence College Professor Jerrilynn Dodds. From the inapposite definitions of Islamic and “Western” art and architecture permeating our language, to the decolonization of the curriculum, we touch on Spain’s medieval history, the mythology of a common European identity, the misguided trope of American ‘exceptionalism’, why Hagia Sophia’s return to its function as a mosque should surprise or offend no one (she exuberantly dresses me down for singling it out as a political gesture), the social activism of today’s youth, her favorite state-sponsored architecture, and other kernels of good-humored wisdom. You’ll be amply rewarded, with no tuition bill to follow.

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