Dr. Steven Schrum’s Faculty Lyceum

12/13/18

Dr. Steven Schrum, Cambridge Professor of History, presented a Faculty Lyceum on Thursday, November 29th, entitled “Don’t Forget to Remember: The Importance of Cultural Memory.” He focuses on the use and abuse of history by English politicians during the Civil War and Restoration (roughly 1640-1670).  When the English overthrew their king, many claimed they did so because he had violated their ancient rights and the traditional powers of the Church.  After they overthrew the king, England became a king-less republic for a decade.  When this failed to work out, they restored the monarchy and tried to erase the last ten years from history.  Parliament even passed a law making it illegal to discuss the politics of the last decade.  This, too, didn’t work because even though the monarchy was more stable, they couldn’t just pretend the last decade didn’t happen.

Here is the information sheet that accompanied his lecture, and if you’d like to listen to the audio recording of Dr. Schrum’s Faculty Lyceum, click the play button below.

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