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Two new projects at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are bringing fresh perspectives to the connections between Arkansas and French history.
First, the product of an international partnership between UA Little Rock Downtown and the Villèle Historical Museum on the French island of Réunion, a new exhibit puts two influential mid-nineteenth-century freedom lawsuits into conversation: that of Abby Guy, in Arkansas, and Furcy Madeleine, on Réunion. The exhibit, “Slavery and Freedom: Journeys Across Time and Space,” shows how these two courtroom battles challenge our received wisdom about race, family, and the law in slave societies, and prompt us to reconsider the meaning of “freedom” itself.
Second, a new digital history project, “Arkansas Creole,” based on new archival findings, reexamines local place names—Petit Jean, Shinall Mountain, Thibault Road, and Bayou Bartholomew—to uncover the real historical figures behind them. Their stories, obscured by decades of mythmaking, are emblematic of the cosmopolitan French-speaking community that persisted in this region long after the Louisiana Purchase. The world of Creole Arkansas was diverse, composed of people with origins across North America, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, many of whom were of mixed ancestry. A fuller understanding of Arkansas’s “French” heritage can help foster a more meaningful sense of place for residents of the state today.
Nathan Marvin is an assistant professor of European history at UA Little Rock. His research, focusing on slavery and resistance in the French colonial world, has been supported by the Camargo Foundation, the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, and a Mellon Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council.
Legacies & Lunch is a hybrid program?offering participants the opportunity to attend either in person or virtually via Zoom. To participate in person, join us at - NEW LOCATION - UA Little Rock Downtown (333 President Clinton Ave). Parking is available in the surface lot or the CALS Parking Deck which you can access from Rock Street. Parking will be validated. Bring your lunch; we will provide drinks and cookies. To participate virtually, register for the webinar using the button above. This program will be live-streamed to YouTube and the recording will be available immediately following the event.
Legacies & Lunch is a free monthly program of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies about Arkansas-related topics.
The Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art is the special collections branch of the Central Arkansas Library System. It houses the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
The mission of the Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art is to engage the people of Central Arkansas in meaningful conversations about our rich history and artistic heritage and its impact on our present.
