Conference Announcement: The "Obama Phenomena"

On this Blog, we usually stick to matters of corporate governance. Nonetheless, with the Democratic National Convention about to descend on our fair city, we feel compelled to note a conference being held by the Univesity of Denver Sturm College of Law called the "Obama Phenomena: Facets of a Historic Campaign."

It is a day long event and will be held on Aug. 29. The conference will examine the cultural wave that has lifted Obama from first-term senator to the first African-American major-party presidential nominee. A diverse, intergenerational collection of scholars will examine the meaning of Obama’s candidacy, looking at aspects including race, gender, and religion. In addition, panels will discuss the changing nature of campaign organization and Obama’s potential impact on affirmative action law, election law and U.S. foreign policy.

Harvard law professor and controversial author Randall Kennedy will deliver the keynote address at 12:30 p.m., “Barack Obama and the Optimistic Tradition in American Racial Commentary.”

Other panels, beginning at 8:30 a.m., include: “From Domain Names to Video Games: The Rise of the Internet in Presidential Politics;” “Obama’s Strategies, Changing the Status Quo;” “Race and the Obama Phenomenon: Change We Can Build On;” and “Predicting the Supreme Court in an Obama or McCain Presidency.”

Scholars from universities in at least 13 states are expected to descend on DU for the event, which offers fertile ground for journalists seeking commentary and analysis of a news-filled four days in Denver. A full schedule of topics and list of experts scheduled to attend is online at http://www.law.du.edu/index.php/obama-phenomena