The Work of Art in the World: Civic Agency and Public Humanities

"Celebrating art and interpretation that take on social challenges, Doris Sommer looks to steer the humanities back to engagement with the world. Among the cases that she covers are top-down initiatives of political leaders, such as those launched by Antanas Mockus, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, and also bottom-up movements like the Theatre of the Oppressed created by the Brazilian director, writer, and educator Augusto Boal. This inspiring book is filled with models, sources, and ideas that can be adapted and adopted to inform teaching and research about activist art and creativity, finds Anna Upchurch." The London School of Economics and Political Science Review of Books Blog.

Robin Becker, "Art for a Change," Academe, November - December 2014

Patrícia Vieira, "What are the Humanities For?" The Los Angeles Review of Books, September 17, 2014