Noted historian Lawrence Goodwyn will give a free public talk about democracy in America on Wednesday, February 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the College Eight Red Room at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
During his talk, entitled "Reorganizing Democracy in America," Goodwyn will outline his vision of what's needed to create a movement to reconstruct democracy in the United States. Goodwyn will draw on examples from the civil rights movement and other popular social movements. Discussion will follow his formal remarks.
Goodwyn is a professor of history at Duke University. He specializes in comparative social movements, populism, and the U.S. South. He teaches courses on social theory, the insurgent South, the Civil War, populism, and race, gender, and class.
The founder of the Duke Oral History Program, Goodwyn is the author of several highly acclaimed books, including Democratic Promise: The Populist Movement in America, which was nominated for a National Book Award, Breaking the Barrier: The Rise of Solidarity in Poland, and Texas Oil, American Dreams: A Study of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association. Goodwyn is currently working on a manuscript exploring the origins and outcomes of the American Revolution.
Goodwyn's talk is part of a weeklong visit to UCSC. It is being cosponsored by the UCSC Departments of Community Studies, American Studies, History of Consciousness, Sociology, and Politics, as well as College Eight, Merrill College, the UCSC Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community, and the Center for Cultural Studies. During his visit, Goodwyn will also attend undergraduate seminars, meet with graduate students, and hold discussions with local community organizers.
