Princeton Scholar Debunks Myths of Truth and Beauty

A distinguished scholar from Princeton University will explore the issues surrounding physical attractiveness in three Merle Curti Lectures Oct. 27-29.

Nell Irvin Painter, Princeton’s Edwards Professor of American History, is an expert on the 19th century American abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth.

For many, Truth epitomizes “a strong, angry, ‘in your face’ black woman,” Painter has said. However, she adds that viewing Truth that way “is a way of not dealing with real, individual black women, who, like Sojourner Truth, have individual histories and are not symbols of anything but themselves.”

Similar myths and illusions can surround physical appearance, Painter says.

At Princeton, Painter teaches the history of the American South and interdisciplinary approaches to research. While visiting UW–Madison, she will deliver three Curti lectures covering:

• “Beauty versus Sex,” Oct. 27.
• “Whiteness and Beauty,” Oct. 28.
• “Is Beauty Scientific?” Oct. 29.

All lectures will begin at 4 p.m. in the State Historical Society auditorium, 816 State St.

The Merle Curti Lectures are presented annually in honor of the late UW historian whose work helped redefine the discipline. Joining the faculty in 1942, he proceeded to win a Pulitzer Prize for his book, “The Growth of American Thought,” which charted America’s intellectual evolution.

All Curti lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Department of History, 263-1800.