Villanova Students, Graduates, Faculty Attend Civil War Conference in Baltimore

This past weekend, the Society of Civil War Historians held their biennial academic conference in Baltimore.

Villanova at the SCWH Conference: Mike Johnson, Dr. Giesberg, Eileen Brumitt, and Jim Kopaczewski 

 

The conference featured panels on a variety of topics which encouraged participants to think about the Civil War era in new ways. Historians presented papers and led discussions which looked at the war in a number of different ways, such as gender, race, economics, memory, and even international perspectives. From the opening panel “Dwelling in the Archives,” to the concluding one “Waging Peace: The Past, Present, and Future Scholarship on Reconstruction,” the topics promoted lively discussions among historians from the around the country (and world) with a diverse set of interests.

Villanova’s own Dr. Judy Giesberg participated in two panels. For the discussion “Teaching the New Military History,” she presented a paper on ways to bring social and military history into a class on the Civil War. Her presentation included a social history tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, which extends beyond the Union and Confederate armies by looking at how the battle influenced the lives of soldiers and civilians alike.

Dr. Giesberg also presided over the panel “Bodies of War: Material Perspectives on the American Civil War Era.” Here she responded to papers presented on how the legacy of clothing, facial hair, and disability-related humor can influence the ways we think about the Civil War.

Though he described him as a "certifiable weirdo," Sean Trainor suggested that Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's beard was part of a trend of facial hair becoming a part of manhood. (National Archives)

Overall the conference sparked lively discussions about the Civil War, as well as the state of present and future scholarship. By looking at new sources or by asking new questions, scholars are demonstrating new ways of thinking about the era, which are culminating in exciting new projects. For a conference novice such as myself, the SCWH event in Baltimore was a great learning experience, not only for the insight on upcoming trends in Civil War scholarship but for getting the feel for academic conferences.

Check out the full agenda here.

Are you doing something history-related this summer? Are you attending a conference, presenting a paper, traveling for research, or have an interesting job? We would love for you to share. Contact us and tell us all about it.