53.8 F
Oxford

Faulkner and Slavery: Annual Conference Takes On New Meaning

By Anne Marie Hanna
hottytoddy.com contributor

The University of Mississippi’s Department of English and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture will present the 45th Annual Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference Sunday, July 22-26. Coordinated by the Office of Outreach and Continuing Education, the weeklong series of events will explore author William Faulkner’s literary relationship with slavery, producing discussions about African-American history in Mississippi and the city of Oxford.

Faulkner rarely demonstrated interest in addressing the topic of slavery in his early publications, according to the conference’s website. However, after moving his family in 1930 to the antebellum plantation that became internationally-known as “Rowan Oak,” the author began to incorporate topics of African-American history and slavery into his writing career.

The iconic William Faulkner statue engages locals and visitors to Oxford to learn more about his literary past. Photo by Anne Marie Hanna. 

Author Ralph Eubanks, who serves as a visiting professor of English and southern studies at the University of Mississippi, will be presenting “Slavery and Descendants” and “Faulkner, Slavery, and the University of Mississippi” seminars at the conference. He said he believes the [conference] discussions hold the potential for Oxford and university members to understand the context of slavery within the local community’s history.
“Slavery’s role in the founding of the [University of Mississippi] is not unknown or a recent historical discovery, but it’s been largely unspoken and unacknowledged,” Eubanks said. “The [combined] discussions of Faulkner, slavery, and the university should help facilitate an understanding of the role African-American labor played in the founding of the university.”
The week’s schedule includes an opening reception, keynote addresses, and buffet supper at the University Museum and Rowan Oak, as well as a comprehensive display of Faulkner’s manuscripts, books, photographs, and other personal items at the J.D. Williams Library. Other events include daily lectures and panel discussions, a picnic on the grounds of Rowan Oak, and an afternoon cocktail reception at the historic Oxford University Depot.
The conference will also feature daylong, guided tours of the university and north Mississippi towns that are intertwined with the state’s African-American and slave histories. University of Mississippi Instructor of Sociology and Anthropology Scott Barretta will be leading a group through the Mississippi Delta. The troop will visit various blues and Civil Rights sites, as well as dine at the Lebanese restaurant “Chamoun’s Rest Haven,” to illustrate the ethnic diversity of the region.
“[Slavery] is from the pre-Faulkner era, but the discussions and tours will allow us to have a deeper understanding of the world that Faulkner inhabited, as well as raise attention to the work and lives of the people who literally built the buildings at Rowan Oak and the broader campus,” Barretta said. “They tend to be left out of, or minimized, in stories about the past and this is a way of giving them a voice.”
Several new excursions were added this year in order for guests to gain a better understanding of the history of slavery, including an archeological and architectural session at the Rowan Oak property.
Jeffrey Jackson, chairman and professor at the University of Mississippi’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, believes that the new findings by the university’s anthropological and archeological teams and the UM Slavery Research Group will allow visitors to “dig deeper” into their own histories.
“Rowan Oak is not only a part of our campus, but a part of our town, and the research that’s being presented allows us to know more about the property’s African-American and slave history in the pre-Faulkner period,” Jackson said. “We’ve never really gotten to tell [their] story there, and the research of the bricks, boards, and paint of Rowan Oak point us to enslaved peoples’ lives and help us to discover the relationships they had with those that lived in the house.”
Faulkner’s literary success and historic imprint on Oxford, coupled with the African-American sources that inspired him, present challenging and informative ways to engage conference visitors and locals alike.
“Literature helps us understand our place in the world, and Faulkner helps understand the psyche of the South,” Eubanks said. The programming makes the conference accessible to all, from readers to scholars.”
University of Mississippi Graduate Instructor Laura Wilson represents a new era of Faulkner scholars, bringing modern insight to a nearly 50-year-old event. Her participation on concurrent panels, including “Faulkner and African-American Representation of Slavery,” and “Slavery and its afterlives in ‘Go Down Moses: Traces and Testaments” showcases the spectrum of expertise that is offered throughout the week.
“With all the talks of contextualization over the last year, it’s important for the community to learn about slavery’s legacy and history through a modern lens,” Wilson said. “The programming that’s going to be offered makes the issue more localized, and with an author who casts such a large presence in the community, it’ll be inspiring to study the [oftentimes] minor voices of enslaved people.”
For more information, and for how to register, visit their website.


Most Popular

Recent Comments

scamasdscamith on News Watch Ole Miss
Frances Phillips on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Grace Hudditon on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Millie Johnston on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Binary options + Bitcoin = $ 1643 per week: https://8000-usd-per-day.blogspot.com.tr?b=46 on Beta Upsilon Chi: A Christian Brotherhood
Jay Mitchell on Reflections: The Square
Terry Wilcox SFCV USA RET on Oxford's Five Guys Announces Opening Date
Stephanie on Throwback Summer
organized religion is mans downfall on VP of Palmer Home Devotes Life to Finding Homes for Children
Paige Williams on Boyer: Best 10 Books of 2018
Keith mansel on Cleveland On Medgar Evans
Debbie Nader McManus on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: The Last of His Kind
Richard Burns on A William Faulkner Sighting
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Ruby Begonia on Family Catching Rebel Fever
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
jeff the busy eater on Cooking With Kimme: Baked Brie
Travis Yarborough on Reflections: The Square
BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH on Oxford is About to Receive a Sweet Treat
baby travel systems australia on Heaton: 8 Southern Ways to Heckle in SEC Baseball
Rajka Radenkovich on Eating Oxford: Restaurant Watch
Richard Burns on Reflections: The Square
Guillermo Perez Arguello on Mississippi Quote Of The Day
A Friend with a Heavy Heart on Remembering Dr. Stacy Davidson
Harold M. "Hal" Frost, Ph.D. on UM Physical Acoustics Research Center Turns 30
Educated Citizen on Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Debbie Crenshaw on Trump’s Tough Road Ahead
Treadway Strickland on Wicker Looks Ahead to New Congress
Tony Ryals on parking
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
C. Scott Fischer on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Sylvia Williams on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Will Patterson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Rick Henderson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
George L Price on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
on
Morgan Shands on Cleveland: On Ed Reed
Richard McGraw on Cleveland: On Cissye Gallagher
Branan Southerland on Gameday RV Parking at HottyToddy.com
Tom and Randa Baddley on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
26 years and continuously learning on Ole Miss Puts History In Context With Plaque
a Paterson on Beyond Barton v. Barnett
Phil Higginbotham on ‘Unpublished’ by Shane Brown
Bettina Willie@www.yahoo.com.102Martinez St.Batesville,Ms.38606 on Bomb Threat: South Panola High School Evacuated This Morning
Anita M Fellenz, (Emilly Hoffman's CA grandmother on Ole Miss Spirit Groups Rank High in National Finals
Marilyn Moore Hughes on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
Jaqundacotten@gmail williams on HottyToddy Hometown: Hollandale, Mississippi
Finney moore on Can Ole Miss Grow Too Big?
diane faulkner cawlley on Oxford’s Olden Days: Miss Annie’s Yard
Phil Higginbotham on ‘November 24’ by Shane Brown
Maralyn Bullion on Neely-Dorsey: Hog Killing Time
Beth Carr on A Letter To Mom
Becky on A Letter To Mom
Marilyn Tinnnin on A Letter To Mom
Roger ulmer on UM Takes Down State Flag
Chris Pool on UM Takes Down State Flag
TampaRebel on UM Takes Down State Flag
david smith on UM Takes Down State Flag
Boyd Harris on UM Takes Down State Flag
Jim (Herc @ UM) on Cleveland: Fall Vacations
Robert Hollingsworth on Rebels on the Road: Memphis Eateries
David McCullough on Shepard Leaves Ole Miss Football
Gayle G. Henry on Meet Your 2015 Miss Ole Miss
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Neely-Dorsey: Elvis Presley’s Big Homecoming
Jennifer Mooneyham on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Wes McIngvale on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
BARRY MCCAMMON on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
Laughing out Loud on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Dr.Bill Priester on Cleveland: On Bob Priester
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
paulette holmes langbecker on Cofield on Oxford – Rising Ole Miss Rookie
Ruth Shipp Yarbrough on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Karllen Smith on ‘Rilee’ by Shane Brown
Jean Baker Pinion on ‘The Cool Pad’ by Shane Brown
Janet Hollingsworth (Cavanaugh) on John Cofield on Oxford: A Beacon
Proud Mississippi Voter on Gunn Calls for Change in Mississippi Flag
Deloris Brown-Thompson on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Sue Ellen Parker Stubbs on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Karen fowler on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Don't Go to Law School on Four Legal Rebels Rising in the Real World
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
Joanne and Mark Wilkinson on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Mary Ellen (Dring) Gamble on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Cyndy Carroll on Filming it Up in Mississippi
Dottie Dewberry on Top 10 Secret Southern Sayings
Brother Everett Childers on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Mark McElreath on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Bill Wilkes, UM '57, '58, '63 on A Letter from Chancellor Dan Jones
Sandra Caffey Neal on Mississippi Has Proud Irish Heritage
Teresa Enyeart, and Terry Enyeat on Death of Ole Miss Grad, U.S. Vet Stuns Rebel Nation
P. D. Fyke on Wells: Steelhead Run
Johnny Neumann on Freeze Staying with Rebels
Maralyn Bullion on On Cooking Southern: Chess Pie
Kaye Bryant on Henry: E. for Congress
charles Eichorn on Hotty Tamales, Gosh Almighty
Jack of All Trades on Roll Over Bear Bryant
w nadler on Roll Over Bear Bryant
Stacey Berryhill on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
John Appleton on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Charlotte Lamb on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Two True Mississippi Icons
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Jeanette Berryhill Wells on HottyToddy Hometown: Senatobia, Mississippi
Tire of the same ole news on 3 "Must Eat" Breakfast Spots in Oxford
gonna be a rebelution on Walking Rebel Fans Back Off the Ledge
Nora Jaccaud on Rickshaws in Oxford
Martha Marshall on Educating the Delta — Or Not
Nita McVeigh on 'I'm So Oxford' Goes Viral
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on How a Visit to the Magnolia State Can Inspire You
Charlie Fowler Jr. on Prawns? In the Mississippi Delta?
Martha Marshall on A Salute to 37 Years of Sparky
Sylvia Hartness Williams on Oxford Approves Diversity Resolution
Jerry Greenfield on Wine Tip: Problem Corks
Cheryl Obrentz on I Won the Lottery! Now What?
Bnogas on Food for the Soul
Barbeque Memphis on History of Tennessee Barbecue
Josephine Bass on The Delta and the Civil War
Nicolas Morrison on The Walking Man
Pete Williams on Blog: MPACT’s Future
Laurie Triplette on On Cooking Southern: Fall Veggies
Harvey Faust on The Kream Kup of the Krop
StarReb on The Hoka
Scott Whodatty Keetereaux Keet on Hip Hop — Yo or No, What’s Your Call
Johnathan Doeman on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
Andy McWilliams on The Warden & The Chief
Kathryn McElroy on Think Like A Writer
Claire Duff Sullivan on Alert Dogs Give Diabetics Peace of Mind
Jesse Yancy on The Hoka
Jennifer Thompson Walker on Ole Miss, Gameday From The Eyes of a Freshman
HottyToddy.com