Speakers Bureau Speaker
Albrecht Classen, Tucson
Dr. Albrecht Classen is a Distinguished Professor of German Studies at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia and arrived in Tucson in 1987. He is a specialist of medieval and early-modern literature, culture, and history, and has published widely both in English and German (currently more than 40 books). His major research interests focus on the European Middle Ages and Renaissance, and also on the early history of Sonora/Arizona. He has received numerous teaching and research awards and is the recipient of the Order of Merit of the German government (2004). In 2006, he was the recipient of the National College Teacher Award by the American Association of Teachers of German.
Presentations may be made in Spanish, and are suitable for high school as well as adult audiences.
Early History of Arizona: German Jesuits as Founders of Arizona
Contrary to common perception, the early history of Arizona was deeply influenced by German Jesuits. Even Padre Eusebio Kino, though of Italian descent, received his entire schooling in Germany and lived there until his departure for the New World. After his death in 1711, numerous German Jesuits followed him, and until 1767 they manned most Jesuit missions in Southern Arizona. Joseph Och, Ignaz Pfefferkorn, Philipp Kern, and Bernhard Middendorff, among many others, lived and worked in the Sonoran Desert to convert the local Indians and to teach them how to become farmers. These Jesuits later wrote highly impressive travelogues and other accounts about their life in Sonora (Pimeria Alta), which shed fascinating light on the early history of our state. This talk will be based on a PowerPoint presentation with photos, maps, and images.
• Host organization provides slide projector and screen.
History of Jews in the Middle Ages
The tensions between Jews and Christians throughout the last thousand years, which ultimately led to the horrendous Holocaust, have deep roots. To understand these conflicts, we need to analyze the history of Jews in medieval Europe both from its positive and negative perspectives. There were numerous contacts, and also many violent confrontations. This talk will examine the differences between the religions and explore the cultural and political life of Jews in the Middle Ages.
• Host organization provides PowerPoint set-up and screen.
Mysticism in the Middle Ages
Throughout the Middle Ages, one religious phenomenon exerted considerable impact on everyone connected with it: mysticism. Mysticism, in essence, means the soul’s encounter with the Godhead. By the 12th century, individuals such as Hildegard of Bingen and Elisabeth of Schönau were graced by unexplainable visions and revelations. Their experiences were overpowering, but they often tried hard to hide them until they were finally forced to reveal them to their confessors, at which point they began to dictate them, or to write them down themselves. Surprisingly, mysticism grew in intensity in the 13th century, and many women gained tremendous influence upon their societies because of their visionary experiences. This presentation explores mysticism, and how it both empowered women and gave them authority, or discredited and condemned them to death for political reasons (Marguerite de Porete, Joan of Arc). Overall, mysticism proved to be highly uncanny for the established Church, and by the 15th century fewer and fewer mystics were recognized.
• Host organization provides PowerPoint set-up and screen.
Women in the Middle Ages
Research of the lives medieval women led began several decades ago, but only the last ten to fifteen years have witnessed an enormous growth in our full understanding of women’s actual roles during the Middle Ages. This talk will present both historical and literary, both religious and artistic evidence, and will illustrate how much women were not the presumed downtrodden chattel, but in many cases succeeded in establishing their own identity within their larger communities. The talk will highlight a handful of particularly powerful women, and so will shatter the modern misconception about the past regarding the power divide among the two genders. The talk will be based on some slides, music, and open discussion with the audience.
• Host organization provides PowerPoint set-up and screen.
