A two-day conference will honor and celebrate the contributions to the field of history by William H. Chafe, the Alice Mary Baldwin professor of history, who is retiring after 40 years on the Duke University faculty.
"Unfinished Journey: Writing American History" will feature panels of esteemed historians from Duke and beyond discussing political history, women's history and civil rights history, areas of Chafe's academic focus. The panel discussions are free and open to the public.
The event begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, with a keynote panel discussion in the Gothic Reading Room at Perkins Library. Duke historian Thavolia Glymph will moderate. A reception will follow.
The conference continues at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12, with a political history panel moderated by Edward Balleisen, an associate professor of history and public policy at Duke.
Following lunch, Duke history professor Nancy MacLean will moderate a panel on women's history and Robert Korstad, a professor of public policy, will moderate a panel on civil rights.
Panelists represent several colleges and universities, including Northwestern, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rutgers, and the University of Pennsylvania.
"During his 40 years at Duke, Bill Chafe has provided a profound example of institutional and intellectual leadership. He's served the university in an incredible range of administrative capacities. He has also established himself as one of the nation's leading historians and as a committed and beloved teacher," said Ian Baucom, director of the Franklin Humanities Institute and co-organizer of the conference.
"It's a testimony to all that he's accomplished that we've heard from former students and colleagues across the U.S. and the world who are planning to attend the conference. It will be a delight to join with them and Duke colleagues in celebrating Bill's contributions to the university and the practice of informed citizenship he embodies," Baucom said.
Chafe's professional scholarship reflects his long-term interest in issues of race and gender equality. The author of several books, his first focused on the changing social and economic roles of American women following passage of the woman suffrage amendment. Subsequent books compared the patterns of race and gender discrimination in America. His most recent book, "Bill and Hillary: The Politics of the Personal," explores the complex relationship between the secretary of state and the former president.
For more information and a complete conference schedule, visit the Unfinished Journey website.