MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College will hold its annual Clifford Symposium Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 21-23, at various locations on campus. The focus of this year’s symposium, which is open to the public, is “The Soviet Century: One Hundred Years of the Russian Revolution.”
The Symposium honors Professor Emeritus of History Nicholas Clifford and focuses on a different topic each year. Rebecca Mitchell, Assistant Professor of History and the main organizer of this year’s Symposium, says, “‘The Soviet Century’ marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution, a watershed moment in modern history. Our goal is to re-examine the significance of the event globally — in political, social and cultural terms — as well as its continued significance in the 21st Century.
“I think that the Russian Revolution is of continued interest to people today because of its complex and contradictory legacy: the revolution was built, at least in part, on utopian dreams of creating a better and more equitable future society; but instead, in many cases, it ushered in Communist regimes that came to symbolize the horrors and abuses of a modern police state.”
Symposium events will include lectures, panel discussions, a film screening, a scene from a play performed by Middlebury College students, a piano concert, and continuing exhibits in the Middlebury College Museum of Art and the Davis Family Library.
All events are open to the public and are free except for a Soviet-style cafeteria dinner, as experienced by students in the College’s School in the Soviet Union. The Symposium organizing committee says, “We anticipate that there will be something of interest to everyone, regardless of department or discipline. “ For a complete schedule of Symposium events and biographies of some of the distinguished visitors, visit middlebury.edu/clifford/2017.