Public Memory and Ethnicity Conference, October 2007
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The study of public memory and ethnicity is increasingly an inter-disciplinary phenomenon. This conference seeks to capitalize on that interdisciplinarity, bringing scholars together from various fields to share and test ideas regarding the connections between public memory and ethnicity. At minimum, public memory assumes that memory is not only an individual phenomenon, it is also a collective and public one. Individuals do not simply remember individually, they get remembered in strategic and stylized ways. These practices of remembrance serve several important social and ontological functions: they mark what is and what is not worthy of memory; they reveal cultural values; they instruct and order our social world; and, taken together, they tell a narrative out of which a sense of collective identity emerges. This conference seeks to connect with and extend our understanding of public memory by considering its relationship with race and ethnicity. How does public memory carve up race and ethnicity? How do race and ethnicity constrain public memory? These questions only begin a long list of interesting problems found at the nexus of public memory and ethnicity. The conference will explore these issues and related problems regarding the influence of remembrance on the order of things.
The Center for Public Memory Studies is happy to welcome conference attendees to the Lewis and Clark College campus. The conference has assembled an international cast of leading scholars, teachers, and students as well as community partners to discuss issues of public memory and ethnicity. We are especially pleased to present our four featured speakers:
Dexter Gordon, director of African American Studies at the University of Puget Sound and author of Black Identity: Rhetoric, Ideology, and Nineteenth-Century Black Nationalism, will start the conference with a a talk entitled "Public Memory, Public Knowledge, History, and Race"
Stephen H. Browne, eminent scholar of rhetoric and public memory, and recent author of Jefferson’s Call for Nationhood: The First Inaugural Address, will end our first day with his presentation entitled, “Arendt, Ethnicity, and the Borders of Memory”
Mark McPhail, author of several books on African American history and racial discourse, including The Rhetoric of Racism Revisited, will open the second day's proceedings with, “Stones the Builders Rejected: Freedom Summer, Kent State, and the Politics of Public Amnesia”
Erna Paris, author of several books including the award winning Long Shadows: Truth, Lies, and History, will conclude the conference proceedings with her presentation, “History, Politics, and the Making of Public Memory”
Conference Logistics:
You can find a map of the campus for your convenience here. You can access additional maps and transportation information here. Conference events will occupy two main buildings on campus, the Albany Quadrangle (Building #14 on the campus map) and Templeton Campus Center (building #36 on the campus map). If you are planning to ride the shuttle to campus from Pioneer Square, which most of you probably will, the bus will stop in front of Templeton Campus Center. Facing Templeton, head to your left and follow the signs for the conference, which will lead you to the Albany Quadrangle. Registration for the conference will be located in the Albany Quadrangle
Parking on Campus:
If you do plan to park on campus you will need to purchase a 4$ parking pass at registration or in the Parking and Transportation office and display it on your car's dashboard.
Publication:
This conference is organized in connection with the conference series on public memory developed at Syracuse University, and will lead to publication of an edited volume. All papers presented will be eligible for consideration for publication. If you are interested in publishing your work in the edited volume please contact G. Mitchell Reyes at mreyes@lclark.edu.
Accommodation Suggestions:
1. UPDATE, UPDATE!! Lewis and Clark will provide a shuttle that will run hourly from Pioneer Square in downtown Portland to the college campus. There are several hotels close to Pioneer Square, such as the Vintage Plaza or the Mark Spencer or the Hotel Monaco that would provide excellent accommodations. You can also search for hotels near Pioneer Square on expedia. In addition, Lewis and Clark College has special rates with many hotels near pioneer square. Just click here to get a list of hotels. When you contact the hotel simply ask for the Lewis and Clark College rate.
2. University Place:This will be a bit of a walk to Pioneer Square, but it offers moderate prices for accommodation within walking distance of downtown Portland and Powell's Books.
Transportation Issues:
1. Flights: Most conference attendees will want to fly into Portland International Airport (PDX).
2. Car Rental: The mass transit system in Portland is fairly comprehensive between the airport and downtown, and we will provide basic shuttle service between Pioneer Square and Lewis and Clark (please see update above). This should be sufficient for most conference attendees, but If you desire more flexibility and convenience you will need to rent a car.
3. Directions to Lewis and Clark College: Lewis and Clark is approximately 6 miles from downtown Portland at 615 S Palatine Hill Rd, Portland, OR 97219. Directions provided courtesy of Google Maps.
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