When: Wednesday Nov. 13, 6:00-7:30 PM
Where: Jane Addams Hull-House Museum,
Residents' Dining Hall, 800 S. Halsted St.
In December of 1862, the US government carried out the largest mass execution in its history, hanging thirty-eight Dakota Indians on President Lincoln's orders after a war with white settlers in Minnesota. Join us for an multi-media exploration of documentary and scholarship as we reflect on this event, and seek to understand how to tell complex stories that touch on critical social justice issues.
As part of the series "Making Truths," documentarian John Biewen and scholar Patricia Norby will discuss the Dakota War, as well as the forms they use to explore history. We will listen to portions of the award-winning audio documentary "Little War on the Prairie," and use it as a starting point to explore how U.S. government atrocities against Native Americans have been hidden, denied, and forgotten.
About "Making Truths"
The Documentary Studies Working Group at the UIC Institute for the Humanities explores the interplay between storytelling and scholarship and considers the potential of both to convey the complexity, authenticity, and emotion of ideas. Our 2013-2014 speaker series showcases exemplary documentary work in multiple formats, explores their relationships to traditional scholarship, and considers its potential contribution to struggles for social justice.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP