The Department of History presents its annual Women's History Month Lecture, featuring Dr. Mita Choudhury from Vassar College (NY), on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 3:30pm.

Belief and Bodies in the Convulsionary Movement of Eighteenth-Century France

In the contemporary world, the question of how we study faith has dogged scholars who generally see belief as the reflection of a bigger, more concrete reality or as an intellectual exercise. Focusing on the convulsionary movement of 18th-century France, which scandalized society with its writhing bodies and unfiltered prophecies, this talk will consider how we might think about faith and belief as lived experiences. It uses the ideas of Judith Butler's performativity to understand the connection between faith as community-based performance and internalized, naturalized belief.

This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Department of History.