Faust Speech Opens Radcliffe Lecture Series

Speaking before a packed Agassiz Theatre, the dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study kicked off a series of celebratory lectures yesterday with a speech about her research on identifying the dead in the Civil War.

University President Neil L. Rudenstine introduced Radcliffe Dean Drew Gilpin Faust at the beginning of the event, praising her ability to "deftly deal with societal abstractions and define terms in her many books." He joked that if he "were to summarize the honors of Faust, we would all be here until the snow storm stopped."

Rudenstine also praised Faust's scholarship, calling her lecture "marvelous."

"Her historical work is very important, and I'm confident she will carry out the Institute's goals," he said.

Faust said she was enthusiatic about the upcoming series of Radcliffe lectures, which will include talks by author Toni Morrison and Lamont University Professor Emeritus Amartya K. Sen. This special lecture series is bringing leaders from the humanities and the sciences, the arts, and the professions to the Radcliffe Institute during 2000-2001

"I'm very excited about the lectures and I'm going to try to make this the most exciting place for advanced study in the United States," she said.

The harsh weather did not prevent a large crowd from hearing Faust speak, who said she was "honored by everyone's presence despite the harsh weather."

Her speech, entitled "Missing in Action: Naming the Dead in the American Civil War," focused on the changes in governmental policy in identifying the missing or dead in the Civil War, and how those changes resulted in "one of the most powerful shifts in thoughts on war."

"The Civil War was first characterized by policies of inhumane negiligence in identifying the dead and missing," she said.

But over the course of the war, she said, different methods of identifying the lost and dead were used, including rough, inaccurate newspaper reporting, letters from other soldiers and commanding offices and crude forms of self-identification.

"While these soldiers could not preserve their own lives, they could at least preserve their names," Faust said. "To die without an identity was to die without humanity."

The transformation of attitudes towards the war dead, the dean said, spoke to "the power and persistence of hope for life and the benefit of information to help loved ones mourn and recover."

"The Civil War transformed death in both physical and psychological ways, defining responsibilities to the dead and their families," Faust said.

Alexandra Moravec '03 said she was "fascinated by the idea of people's hopes for the lives of their loved ones against all odds."

"I think Faust is an impressive speaker, and I'm glad she's going to be the head of Radcliffe--she's clearly very intelligent and knowledgeable," Moravec added.

Prior to joining the Institute in January, Faust was the Annenberg professor of history and the director of women's studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A leading historian of the Civil War and the American South, she is the author of five books for which she has won numerous prizes. In addition to her position as dean, she also holds a tenured Faculty appointment as a professor of history.