Lecture by Jalane Schmidt: Historical Memory, Public Space, and Civil War: A Perspective from the United States

On Monday, 17 November, the Faculty of Geography and History will host a lecture by Jalane Schmidt, professor at the University of Virginia (USA), entitled: Historical Memory, Public Space, and Civil War: A Perspective from the United States.

Jalane Schmidt is director of the Memory Project at the University of Virginia (UVA) Democracy Initiative and associate professor of Religious Studies. She teaches courses on race, religion, and social change movements and is the author of Cachita's Streets: The Virgin of Charity, Race & Revolution in Cuba, a study of Cuban national identity, religion, and public events. Schmidt, an academic and activist in Charlottesville, Virginia, plans and directs public history events focused on the memory of the Civil War, Jim Crow, and local African American history. She co-founded the 2019-2020 Monumental Justice Virginia campaign, which successfully pressured the Virginia General Assembly to repeal a century-old state law prohibiting localities from removing Confederate statues.

On the occasion of the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee in 2021, Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker stated: ‘The removal is a small step toward helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and the United States confront its sin of being willing to destroy African Americans for economic gain,’ as the statue was moved to a municipal compound.

Further information:

Date: 17/11/2025

Title: Historical memory, public space, and civil war: a perspective from the United States

Speaker: JALANE SCHMIDT (UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA)

Time: 4 p.m.            

Venue: Classroom 14. Faculty of History