Theory of History Scholar Visits UA for Lecture, Panel Discussion

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Hayden White, one of the most influential theorists of historiography, will visit The University of Alabama for two public events in the Religion in Culture Series of UA’s department of religious studies.

His public lecture, titled “The Practical Past,” will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in Alston Hall, room 30.

White also will participate in “The Tropes of Disciplines and the Disciplining of Tropes: A Discussion of the Work of Hayden White,” an interdisciplinary panel discussion from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 17, in Gorgas Library, room 205.

This panel will highlight the influence of his work on research in multiple disciplines. The other panelists, drawn from the UA faculty, are Drs. Fred Whiting (English), Barbara Godorecci (modern languages and classics), Andrew Dewar (New College and music) and Tim Murphy (religious studies).

Both events are free and open to the public.

White’s work has revolutionized how it is that we conceive of the past and writing about the past. He has argued for the application of literary criticism to the writing of history, asserting that the process of writing for historians and creative writers is substantially the same.

Currently professor emeritus at the University of California Santa Cruz, White has published extensively over the course of three decades, beginning with “Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe.” His other books include “Tropics of Discourse: Essays in Cultural Criticism,” “The Content of the Form: Narrative Discourse and Historical Representation” and more recently “Figural Realism: Studies in the Mimesis Effect.”

Along with religious studies, White’s visit to UA is co-sponsored by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, English, modern languages and classics, New College and University Libraries.

The religious studies department is a part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Teams.

For more information, visit www.as.ua.edu/rel/events.htm or contact Dr. Steven Ramey, assistant professor of religious studies, at sramey@as.ua.edu or 205/348-4218.