“Beyond Shiny, Happy History: Why Censoring the Past is a Bad Idea” – Lunchtime Lecture

by Robert E. Weir, Ph.D.

The English novelist L. P. Hartley famously quipped, “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” This begs the question of why so many contemporary Americans seek to remake it for their own purposes. They do so at both their own peril and the risk that they might inadvertently so alter the past as to make it unrecognizable. Professor Weir will argue in favor of the uncomfortable, even when it unsettles, even disgusts.  His talk will focus largely on interpretations of the Civil War and of local debates with the goal in mind of fostering productive dialogues rather that creating competing monologues.

History Bites is a series of thirty minute lectures to inform and entertain, covering various aspects of the history of Amherst and the lives of those who once lived here.

Bring your lunch, and we provide coffee, tea and cider for you as you listen to the presentations. The programs begin promptly at 12:15 with seating and beverages ready just before noon. The lectures are free and everyone is welcome to attend.

Robert E. Weir, Ph.D. is the author of seven books of American labor and social history, numerous articles, and countless reviews. He recently retired from teaching in the history department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has also taught at Smith College, Bay Path College, Mt. Holyoke College, and Community College of Vermont. He remains an active scholar and is currently working on a book on Western Massachusetts. He is also a freelance writer, a blogger, the executive secretary of the Northeast Popular/American Culture Association, and is active in the Northampton Historical Society. And he much prefers to be called “Rob,” rather than any old stuffy academic title!