Imagining the Origins of Society & Politics in Where the Wild Things Are and Lost.  Dr. David Sutton.  Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, SIUC

Wednesday, April 6^th  1:00 p.m. - Communications Building, Room 1032

This presentation examines representations of politics in the “state of nature” represented by an island. While “Where the Wild Things Are” on the surface is a psychological parable, Dr. Sutton will suggest that anthropological writings on Sacred Kingship and the origins of politics, as well as notions of sovereignty, can provide an interesting new reading of the film, drawing comparisons with the popular T.V. show Lost.

With his colleague Peter Wogan, Dr. Sutton recently published Hollywood Blockbusters: The Anthropology of Popular Movies (2009), where they argue that Hollywood movies are a neglected topic and ripe for anthropological analysis. They show how popular films can be analyzed like cultural myths, revealing key tensions and contradictions within society.

FREE EVENT – All are welcome.  For more information, contact Laura Germann at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 618-453-6876 or visit http://gmrc.siu.edu.  GMRC is also on Facebook, Academial.edu, and Twitter.