Among those attending was comedian Bill Cosby and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson. More celebratory events were scheduled this weekend and throughout the month. Duke and visiting faculty members have looked at the interaction of the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada, in terms of culture, national identity and accumulation of power. The project is part of another major component of the new Franklin Center, its Center for International Studies. Speaking about international connections, Bruce Kuniholm , one of three Duke officials leading the new Franklin Center, said Keohane recently received a letter from Anthony Harrington, U.S. ambassador to Brazil and a Duke alumnus, encouraging the scholars at the Franklin Center to study Brazil.
Brazil is a multi-racial society, with one of the world's widest income gaps between rich and poor.
It's now confronting many of the social problems that have long hampered its progress. Kuniholm is vice-provost of international affairs and development at Duke. He is also a professor of history and public policy in the Sanford Institute. Kuniholm has written several books on topics ranging from the Palestinian situation to U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf, as well as Greek-Turkish relations. This year, the Franklin Center, through its Franklin Institute, is studying the effects of the expansion of Christianity in the world in the last 500 years.