CREST Symposium, Friday, September 16, 2011

As part of Dr. Thomas Schwartz’s visit to The College of Saint Rose to present the Sixth Annual Kermit Hall Memorial Lecture, CREST will host a symposium on the next day, Friday, September 16, from 10:00-3:00 pm in Albertus 210.

The intention of this year’s symposium is to contemplate and discuss the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in historical perspective.  To help facilitate these conversations, symposium participants will be reading the recently-published special issue of the Organization of American Historians’ Magazine of History –– September 11: Ten Years After –– containing articles devoted to an assessment of the cultural, political, and diplomatic ramifications of 9/11. Likely topics of discussion will include –– among others –– immigration, citizenship, and human rights in the wake of 9/11; September 11 memorials and the creation of cultural memory; domestic politics during wartime; and teaching 9/11.  We will need volunteers to help facilitate discussions. Please email me if you are interested in serving in this role.

In addition to discussing 9/11, we will also be taking advantage of Dr. Schwartz’s visit by taking a closer look at several of his recent articles: “Henry Kissinger: Realism, Domestic Politics, and the Struggle Against Exceptionalism in American Foreign Policy,” Diplomacy and Statecraft 22 (2011): 121-141; and “’Winning an election is terribly important, Henry’: Partisan Politics in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations,” Diplomatic History 33:2 (April 2009): 173-190.

If you are interested in participating in this upcoming CREST Symposium, please contact John Williams-Searle, Director, CREST. I have some copies of the special issue of the OAH’s Magazine of History that can be picked up at my office (1006 Madison – 3rd Floor). I can also send these through interoffice mail. Schwartz’s 2009 article can be acquired through the Saint Rose library, either electronically through EBSCO Host, or through the college’s print collection.  I am currently acquiring Schwartz’s 2011 article through interlibrary loan.

This event promises to be an opportunity to look back at the September 11 terrorist attacks with a critical eye to their role in shaping the history, culture, and domestic politics of the United States, as well as the United States’ role in international affairs.  I look forward to your participation in this upcoming CREST Symposium.  Please feel free to invite interested colleagues who may not have received this message, as well as your graduate students who may be interested.

Leave a comment