FOR MORE INFORMATION:
HEATHER WADDELL, assistant professor, Classical Studies
(218) 299-4512
AMY KELLY, College Communications and Media Relations director
(218) 299-3642
CLASSICAL STUDIES PRESENTS I.F. GROSE MEMORIAL LECTURE
The classical studies department at Concordia College will present the I.F. Grose Memorial Lecture in Classical Studies, "Black Faces: Interpreting Iconographic Representations of Black People in Classical Greek Antiquity," at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the Morrie Jones Conference Center A-B, Knutson Campus Center. The lecture features Sarah Derbew.
Derbew’s lecture investigates the presentation of black skin color on fifth-century B.C.-era janiform cups, which depict black-glazed and clay-colored faces on opposite sides. Close scrutiny of museum displays highlights the clash between past and present that can occur when modern audiences encounter representations of black people in antiquity. Derbew’s research highlights the need for inclusive and contextualized exhibits of representations of black people in museums.
Derbew’s academic interests include ethnographic writing in ancient history and the representation of Sub-Saharan Africa in Greek and Latin literature. Her dissertation, which she is currently completing at Yale University, is titled “The Metatheater of Blackness: Looking at and through black Africa in ancient Greek literature and art.” This work presents arguments about theories of race and cultural identity in the ancient Mediterranean.
This annual lecture series is named after Ingebrikt Fretheim Grose, Concordia’s first president (1891-1893). He was only 29 years old when he took up the reins and was trained as a classicist. In the spirit of Grose, the purpose of the Grose Lecture is to foster the work of classicists who are advancing through the early and middle stages of their careers and to bring to Concordia cutting-edge research and newest ideas in the field. This lecture series is made possible by the generous contributions of Dr. Charles Grose in honor of his grand-uncle.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
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