Linfield faculty members Nicholas Buccola and Lissa Wadewitz will read from and discuss their recently published books Monday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Austin Reading Room of Nicholson Library.
Buccola, assistant professor of political science, will discuss his book, “The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass: In Pursuit of American Liberty.” Wadewitz, assistant professor of history, will be speak on her book, “The Nature of Borders: Salmon, Boundaries, and Bandits on the Salish Sea.”
Buccola brings a new focus on American historical thought in his April 2012 book focusing on Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent figures in African American and United States history. Douglass was born a slave, but escaped to the North and became a well-known anti-slavery activist, orator and author. Beyond Douglass’ role as an abolitionist, Buccola argues for the importance of understanding Douglass as a political thinker who provides deep insights into the immense challenge of achieving and maintaining the liberal promise of freedom.
Wadewitz’ s book centers on the ecological impact of political borders on the life of salmon of the West Coast of the United States, documenting how fishing practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries turned the boundary waters into a lawless Wild West. She discusses the implications borders have in relation to how resources are distributed, how laws concerning fishing and water treatment are formed and enforced, and how humans from different countries influence the environment for salmon.
Both authors will discuss how they researched the topics of their books, their writing process and other information.
Buccola teaches political theory and is the founding director of the Frederick Douglass Forum on Law, Rights, and Justice. His essays have been published in several scholarly journals including The Review of Politics and the Journal of Social Philosophy as well as in popular journals such as Dissent and the Claremont Review of Books. He is at work on a new book tentatively called “Prophets of Liberty: The Political Philosophy of American Abolitionists.” He has a bachelor’s in philosophy from Santa Clara University, and a master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Southern California.
Wadewitz, at Linfield since 2007, received her Ph.D. in history from UCLA in 2004. She then spent a year as a post-doctoral fellow in native and newcomer relations at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. In 2005 Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the Study of the North American West awarded Wadewitz a second, two-year post-doctoral fellow position. She teaches courses on U.S. environmental history, Native American history and the history of the American West. She received her bachelor’s in Asian studies from Pomona College and her master’s in history from UCLA.
The reading is free and open to the public and sponsored by Friends of Nicholson Library. For more information, contact Susan Barnes Whyte, 503-883-2517, swhyte@linfield.edu.
