The conference will present a group of leading humanities scholars examining Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War as continuing presences in contemporary American culture. The sectional conflict has long been a defining narrative of American identity, represented in countless films, speeches, novels and non-fiction books, public monuments, and community ceremonies. The war remains a vital resource for the humanities today as a means to discuss nationhood, regionalism, race relations, citizenship, modernity, and other topics. It is one of the most compelling subjects of interest and engagement for a wide variety of audiences, from history buffs and re-enactors to heritage tourists and artists.   

Lincoln and the Civil War in Contemporary America features three sessions led by outstanding scholars in a variety of disciplines.  The first presentation, focusing on “Obama, Lincoln, and 2008,” will examine a topic of particular timeliness, as the conference will take place two weeks after the presidential inauguration and a few days before the bicentennial anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.  Other talks will consider the observance of Juneteenth, recent southern fiction about the Civil War, Lincoln and the Civil War in contemporary photography, tourism at battlefield parks, and the hobby of Civil War re-enactment.  The sessions will provide opportunities for comments and questions from the audience.  

As part of the conference, the College of Charleston’s Halsey Institute has invited a number of visual artists to participate in sessions with the public audience, and to propose works for a forthcoming exhibition, Present Tense: Vestiges of the Civil War, scheduled for opening in April 2011, on the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter.

Lincoln and the Civil War in Contemporary America is made possible by generous support from the History Department and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Arts and the School for the Arts at the College of Charleston, and The Humanities CouncilSC.