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Winton Chair in the Liberal Arts

Portrait: The Wintons

Penny Rand Winton and David Michael Winton

The Winton Chair in the Liberal Arts was established in October 1987 to encourage “innovative, distinctive research in the liberal arts” with the special directive that the chair be held by individuals whose research or creative work “questions established patterns of thought.”

The benefactors, David Michael Winton and Penny Rand Winton, expressed interest in supporting individuals whose work challenges cultural paradigms and represents important breaks from dominant patterns of thought.

Current Winton Chair Holders

Nuruddin Farah

Nuruddin Farah

Department of English

Nuruddin Farah is world-renowned Somali novelist and playwright, writing in Somali and English. In his work he explores themes ranging from the patriarchal clan system and exploitation of women, to the parallels between colonial practices and authoritarian regimes in post-colonial Somalia and the pain of cultural uncertainty in the post-colonial world, to complex issues related to the long-standing tribal disputes that continue to plague Somalia today.

William C. Wimsatt

William C. Wimsatt

Department of Philosophy
Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science

William C. Wimsatt is a professor of philosophy, a member of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology, and the Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science. His work centers on the philosophy of the inexact sciences—biology, psychology, and the social sciences—the history of biology, and the study of complex systems. Professor Wimsatt focuses primarily on a cluster of problems arising in the analysis of the structure, behavior, and evolution of complex, functionally organized systems.

Events

See highlights from past Winton Chair in the Liberal Arts events.

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