Chairperson: Fintan O’Toole

"Learned, unsensational, original, gripping…"
The Guardian on The American Future: a History

Simon Schama's four-part BBC TV series (and accompanying book) The American Futurecame hot on the heels of the most tumultuous US election of the modern era. Written and presented by Schama – one of the most popular and prolific historians of our age – it looked to the past to explain the American present and future. At a time when the US has reached a critical crossroads in terms of its identity, moral authority and political hegemony, Schama digs deep into its conflicted history to unearth just what is at stake today.

In this exclusive Irish visit, Schama talks to writer and Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole, taking the long view with trademark narrative verve. Cutting through a pervasive anti-Americanism, he shares a fresh and persuasive vision of the United States at a pivotal moment .

Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University in New York. He has published over 15 books and written more than 30 documentaries for the BBC including the best-selling A History of Britain and The Power of Art.