2006-2007 Speakers Bureau Catalog
DEBORAH BUFFTON
Deborah Buffton is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-
La Crosse. Her research interests include understanding the myriad effects
of war on society.
Address: 1908 Kane St., La Crosse, WI 54603
Phone: 608-779-9861 (home), 608-785-8359 (work)
E-mail: buffton.debo@uwlax.edu
Creating the Memory of War
War memorials are created to remember the dead and to remind future generations of past events. And yet, the creation of these memorials is fraught with controversy over what will be remembered, how it will be portrayed, and what will be forgotten. This talk will use the creation of two World War I memorials in northern France as a springboard for a larger discussion of, and reflection on, the ways we remember war and what implications that has for us as a society.
How to Create a "Feminine Hero" in War
The relationship of women and war has long been controversial and ambiguous. While women have been active participants and victims in wars, societies prefer to claim that wars are fought to "protect" women and to defend ideals which use women as symbols ("liberty," "justice," "the nation," etc.). Societies have a particularly difficult time seeing women as combatants. This talk will focus on the ways political leaders and the media transformed the identity of Louise de Bettignies, a leader of a French resistance network in World War I. Her story will serve as a springboard for a more general discussion of women's participation in war, and society's ambivalence toward it.
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