Curti Lectures to examine apocalypse in American culture

Emeritus history professor Paul Boyer will deliver this year’s UW–Madison Merle Curti Lecture, the signature lecture event for the department of history.

The 29-year-old series takes its name from Merle Curti, a UW–Madison professor of American intellectual and cultural history from 1942-1968, best known for his influential book “The Growth of American Thought,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944; and for bringing rigorous quantitative analysis to his discipline.

Boyer, who holds an endowed professorship of American culture in Merle Curti’s name, will use the three Curti lectures to explore the theme of “Apocalypse Then, Apocalypse Now: Bible-Prophecy Belief in American Religion, Politics and Popular Culture.” The talks will be held on three consecutive evenings on Nov. 7-9.

Boyer is the former director of the UW–Madison Institute for Research in the Humanities. His co-authored “Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft” was a National Book Award nominee and received the John H. Dunning Prize from the American Historical Association. His canon also includes 1992’s “When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture,” and 1985’s “By Bomb’s Early Light: American Thought and Culture at the Dawn of the Atomic Age.”

“The pervasiveness of apocalyptic thinking, and of specific interpretations of Bible prophecy, play a significant role in shaping how millions of citizens view world events,” Boyer says. “I hope these lectures will help place these beliefs in historical context and demonstrate their relevance to understanding contemporary American culture and politics.”

All lectures will begin at 4 p.m. in the Pyle Center’s Vandenberg Auditorium (room 121). Boyer’s lectures include:

• Monday, Nov. 7: “From Mesopotamia to 20th-Century America: The Origins and Evolution of the New Apocalyptic World View.” The lecture will explore the timeliness of the topic and provide an overview of apocalyptic and End Time beliefs.
• Tuesday, Nov. 8: “Apocalyptic Scenarios in the Cold War Era: Prophetic Belief as a Mass-Culture Phenomenon.” The talk will examine how televangelists and popular writers linked Bible prophecies of the End Times to key developments of the post-World War II era, including the nuclear threat and developments in the Middle East.
• Wednesday, Nov. 9: “Post-Cold War Adaptations: The Politicization of Prophetic Belief in Contemporary America,” Boyer will explore a recent upsurge of Bible prophecy belief in contemporary America and reflect on how these beliefs shape many Americans’ view of current issues.

Steve Stern, chair of the department of history, says that only twice before has the department invited one of its own faculty members to deliver the Curti Lectures (Willard Hurst in 1981 and William Cronon in 1994).

“Paul’s case represents a unique convergence,” Stern says. “He is an outstanding scholar whose interests resonate with Merle Curti’s career. Paul embodies the tradition of intellectual and cultural history that Curti pioneered at Wisconsin. We are very selective in choosing these lecturers and so our choice of Paul is quite a tribute to him.”

A reception will follow the lecture on Nov. 7 in Lee Lounge, 109 Pyle Center. All lectures are free and all are welcome. For more information, contact Nicole Hauge, (608) 263-1808, nshauge@wisc.edu.