Professors at Bakersfield College gave a panel discussion about the use of art, anthropology, and other subjects as forms of rebellion throughout history at the Levan Center on Thursday, Oct. 2. They presented these ideas through the unique lenses of their areas of expertise.

Professor of Media Arts Jeff Huston presented his thoughts on the subject through uses of art throughout history. One of these examples was Olympia, a famous painting that depicts a nude woman gazing directly at the viewer. He said that it was a form of rebellion because it was showing a part of society that wasn’t talked about, the idea of sex workers and women in those positions. It was a way to question what the standard norm was and change it.

Professor of Anthropology Krista Moreland also shared her perspectives through the studies of Jane Goodall, the woman who studied apes for decades. She explained how Goodall’s discoveries helped change the idea about what it meant to be human, and that this was another form of rebellion because it upset the foundational ideas in many parts of Western society.

“What I want students to take away from this,” Moreland said. “Is just the experience. Because it’s a college experience to come to these events, whether you’re a student or a teacher.”

“The nice thing about this,” Huston said. “Is that since it’s not a classroom, we can talk about other topics and other things, like how Professor Moreland talked about Jane Goodall, who just passed away yesterday.”

Many of the people in attendance were students from BC, including Andrew Vue, a history major in his Junior semester.

“I thought it was really tastefully presented,” said Vue. “I would argue the most impactful thing was just thorough examination of the definition of rebel.” He thought that it was a way to delve into the ideas and not just focus on the surface level concepts.