Editor’s Note: This event has been cancelled due to illness according to the GVSU’s Office of the President.
By Peg West
Grand Valley State University
A Harvard University scholar and narrative historian, who presents accounts from a time in American history and gives context to today, will give the lecture for the Grand Valley State University Fall Arts Celebration.
Jill Lepore, described as the preeminent narrative historian of her generation, will deliver her talk, “American History from Beginning to End,” November 5 at 6 p.m. at the Eberhard Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A 5 p.m. public reception will precede the lecture.
Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her most recent book is “This America: The Case for the Nation.”
She asserts that the United States is an experiment founded on three “truths”: political equality, natural rights and the sovereignty of the people. Nora Salas, assistant professor of history, said Lepore compels audiences to question if America’s mission has succeeded or failed in the past and what the resulting effect on the present day has been.
“Lepore’s work speaks to the significance of history for the health of our democracy and political institutions,” Salas said. “We hope the audience will gain an appreciation for the complexity of American history. As Lepore writes, “A good history should raise questions.”
All Fall Arts Celebration events are free and open to the public. For more information visit gvsu.edu/fallarts.
