Conference on ‘Loyalism’ to Explore Counterrevolutionary Patriotism
Contact: Betsy Arntzen, (207) 581-4225
ORONO — The public is invited to an international conference, “Loyalism and the Revolutionary Atlantic World,” June 4-7 at the University of Maine and in Castine.
Organized by the UMaine Canadian-American Center and the Department of History, the conference has attracted dozens of scholars from the United States, Canada, the U.K. and Australia to present research and explore critical aspects of the American Revolution.
The conference will examine the role of perhaps the most understudied Revolutionary topic among historians in the United States: Loyalists — those who opposed the Patriot movement. It also will introduce an “Atlantic” perspective, which will help move analysis of the American Revolution beyond its familiar nationalistic boundaries into a larger trans-national region of influence and significance, according to co-organizers Liam Riordan, associate professor of history and authority on early America and its political, religious and ethnic makeup, and Stephen Hornsby, Canadian-American Center director.
A $75 fee covers meal and coffee break expenses. Conference organizers can assist with local accommodations for travelers.
The conference will take place at Minsky Recital Hall, Class of 1944 Hall, on the UMaine campus, and on June 6 at the Castine Historical Society. Castine was a prominent British military site and loyalist refuge on Penobscot Bay.
Conference sponsors include Canadian American Center, the Maine Humanities Council, the UMaine College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the University of New Brunswick, the Castine Historical Society and the Maine Historical Society.
Additional details, including schedule, presentation locations, and information about accommodations, can be found on the Canadian-American Center website, or by calling Betsy Arntzen at the center at (207) 581-4225. The conference is free to UMaine faculty, staff and students; advance registration by May 31 is requested.