The Norton Lectures with Steve McQueen | Lecture Two

The 2025-26 Norton Lectures | Steve McQueen: Pulse

Norton Lecture Two: Small Axe

Tickets are free and will be available starting one week before the lecture through the Harvard Box Office. Please note: Event registration does not count as a ticket for this event.

2025-26 Norton Professor of Poetry: Steve McQueen

Discussants: Tracey Scoffield, Producer; Hazel V. Carby, Yale University

Moderator: Ashley Clark, Criterion Collection

Small Axe, Steve McQueen’s anthology series has been celebrated for its powerful storytelling, its authentic portrayal of Black British culture, and its exploration of themes of identity, racism, and resilience. The five films, which depict the experiences of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s, have garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards. Small Axe is not a traditional television series, but rather a collection of five standalone films, each telling a unique story rooted in the Black British experience during a period of social and political upheaval. McQueen will be joined by Tracey Scoffield (Small Axe producer), Hazel Carby (Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor Emeritus of African American Studies, Professor Emeritus of American Studies, Yale University) and Ashley Clark (Curatorial Director, the Criterion Collection) to discuss the anthology.

Full event details can be found on our website.