The State of Things

Most cases of rape and sexual assault never make the news. But in recent weeks, horrific stories about victims of sexual violence have created national headlines. Some language used in the reporting of these cases and public reactions to them has caused controversy. How we articulate ideas about rape sheds light on American perceptions of violence, gender and race. Host Frank Stasio discusses the language and the law surrounding rape with a panel of guests including documentary filmmaker Aishah Shahidah Simmons; Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African and African-American Studies at Duke University; Melissa Harris-Perry, associate professor of politics and African-American Studies at Princeton University; and Mary R. Block, associate professor of history at Valdosta State University.

Criminals who commit modern day maritime piracy pose a serious challenge for law enforcement. Pirates, a hijacked ship and its cargo could all be from different nations with different laws. With so many jurisdictions involved, it becomes nearly impossible to figure out which laws apply and what punishment should be meted out. Host Frank Stasio will talk about modern day piracy with Mark Nance and Michael Struett, assistant professors of political science at North Carolina State University and co-authors of a paper called “Maritime Piracy and Regime Complexes: Explaining Low Levels of Coordination.

The North Carolina Museum of History has mounted an exhibition of the photography of Lewis Hine. His bleak, black-and-white prints paint a vivid picture of young people, some not yet teenagers, covered in the lint and grime of the state’s textile mills. Meanwhile, University of North Carolina at Greensboro public history students, under the guidance of associate professor of history Benjamin Filene, have created an online project called “Community Threads: Remembering the Cone Mill Villages.”

In David Edgar’s play, "The Shape of the Table," a country is falling to pieces. Its people are protesting and demanding a new government while the old government tries to hold on to power. It could be a story ripped from today's headlines, but it premiered in 1990 — a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The narrative deals with an unnamed eastern European country as it transitions from Communism to democracy.

As a scholar of Renaissance literature, Maureen Quilligan made a name for herself by re-examining the role of women during the Elizabethan age through the lense of art and literature. As the head of the English Department at Duke University, she helped stabilize a respected institution during a tumultuous time. And as a resident of Hillsborough, North Carolina, Quilligan has helped support the small town's independent merchants, including sewing lamp covers for a new book shop.