By Dan Hinchen

It is a pretty quiet week here at the Society. This is what is on tap:

– Tuesday, 9 May : The Environmental History Seminar is CANCELED. 

– Wednesday, 10 May, 12:00PM : Join us for a Brown Bag lunch talk with Emily Gephart of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. “Avian Affinities and Refashioning Roles: Feathers, Millinery and American Bird Protection” examines the storyof how bird death led to rejection of fashion’s mandates, a process that was neither swift, nor direct, nor simple, but reveals a complex politics of hybridity, in which roles, refusal, and refashioning play off one another in dynamic exchange. This talk is free and open to the public. 

– Thursday, 11 May, 6:00PM : Scars of Independence: America’s Violent Birth is the title of a recent publication as well as the title of a talk with the author, Holger Hoock, of University of Pittsburgh. Often portrayed as an orderly, restrained rebellion, Hoock shows that the Revolution was not only a high-minded battle over principles, but also a profoundly violent civil war that shaped the nation and the British Empire in ways we have only begun to understand. This talk is open to the public. Registration is required with a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM followed by the speaking program at 6:00PM. 

There is no tour this week, but you can still come in to view our current exhibition, The Irish Atlantic, anytime during normal exhibit hours, Monday-Saturday, 10:00AM-4:00PM.