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A Colloquium on the War of Northern Invasion

University of Alberta, November 27-28, 2009

As an extension of the original research undertaken by students enrolled in HIST 343, presentations at this meeting will address important issues related to the U.S.-American War (1846-48). These new interpretations of central themes stemming from the conflict are situated at the crossroads of socio-economic, political, and cultural approaches to history. Attendance is free and open to the public

Day 1: Friday November 27 BUS 1-9 

Session I. 9:00-9:50AM:
Leaders and their National Legacies: Central Figures and the Redefinition of Historical Memory

  • Curtis Sawka, "Archcaudillo of Mexico: The Life and Times of Antonio López de Santa Anna"
  • Matthew Jarvis, "Cortina: Mexican Nationalism in Texas"

Day 2: Saturday November 28 Tory 2-32

Session II 9:00-10:00AM:
Comparative Caudillos, Unresolved Issues and the Prelude to War

  • Christian Butler, “Santa Anna and Jackson: A Comparative Evaluation in the Context of the Mexican-American War”
  • Gregory Melenka, “How the West was Won: Texas and the Mexican War”

Session III 10:15-11:15: The Reorientation and Reinvention of U.S.-Mexican Relations

  • Theresa Rawe, "Conflicting War Stories: American Representations of Mexico on Film"
  • Emily Larocque, “Through the Eyes of the People: Popular Culture, National Mythologies and the U.S.-Mexican War”

Session IV 11:15-12:15 The War and Contested Social Concerns

  • Ryan Trainer, “Against the Grain: Examining Slavery and Race Relations between Texas and Mexico during the Mexican War”
  • Rhiannon Edwards, “To Make Out Like Bandits: War, Land Disputes, and Banditry in Nineteenth-Century Mexico”

12:15-1:15PM Lunch

Session V 1:15-2:15PM Lingering Social Issues, Gender and the Maintenance of Patriarchy

  • Caitlin Guse, “Understanding the Mexican Bandit: Gender and the Reconstruction of Social Banditry”
  • Christian Pickup, “From Heroes to Machos: How Mexican Masculine Identity was Salvaged from the Depths of Defeat”

Session VI 2:30-3:30PM The Agency of Women and the Legacy of the War

  • Erin Gallagher-Cohoon, “The Recreation of U.S. Nationalism through the Objectification of Mexican Women during the Mexican War"
  • Jiawei Lin, “The Impact of the U.S.-Mexican War on Women and Their Changing Roles in Society”