Professor of Art History and History at Columbia, Sir Simon Schama, speaks at Writer's Week
Presented by: Presented in partnership with the University of Sydney
Reviewed: 2 March, 2025
Professor of Art History and History at Columbia, Sir Simon Schama delivered his oration On Antisemitism this evening, followed by a conversation with ABC 7.30’s Sarah Ferguson, with Premier Malinauskas opening the occasion Sir Simon Schama on Antisemitism.
The audience included some prominent figures (whose attendance was acknowledged), lending credence to the speaker’s expertise. The event ran for 90 minutes with no interval. The ending was strong, with a wonderful speech by Louise Adler, who is such an asset to Writers’ Week.
I was a bit disappointed with this event, as I felt the oration didn’t provide enough modern context. I was expecting there would be a bit more focus on the last twenty or so years.
While I have much respect for award-winning historian and television presenter Sir Simon Schama, and I understand the oration aimed to cover the entire history, there was a lot of
emphasis on the Holocaust. This focus seemed to overshadow the time spent discussing the period from then to now, leaving little space to address the transition to the present state of public discourse. While the oration was intended to follow a historical narrative, it ultimately felt unbalanced.
Schama mentioned that his mother had predicted a resurgence in antisemitism quite some time ago, based on some indicators she had observed in her own world. Perhaps from this point in his oration, I feel like he could have used it as a turning point to shift the conversation and concentrate more on the present state of affairs. This is really what I came to hear.
As I was wanting a deeper exploration into modern societal challenges in the oration, I was pleased when Sarah Ferguson came in for question time. There was no audience participation, but she shaped the conversation to make it more relevant by asking the questions I wanted to hear the answers to, and more in line with what I was expecting.
Writer’s Week has often come under fire as the issues discussed can be controversial. But that’s what makes the event so valuable. Whether or not you agree with every speaker you hear or see, the atmosphere and energy of these events come from being around people who have taken the plunge to wholeheartedly commit to and become experts in their field and pursue their passion.
We were told that this event will be broadcast on the ABC in due time, so even though it is not the same as being there live, you have not completely missed out on this oration. In the meantime, there are plenty more speakers to hear!
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
Venue: Adelaide Town Hall
Season: ended
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