EIHS Lecture: Fathers and Sons: Empire, Execution, and Partition in a Revolutionary Age, 1776-1816
Gregory Dowd (University of Michigan)
Born to an Anglicized Dutch family in Albany, NY, Jacob Glen Cuyler (1773-1854) became a child of revolutionary exile. This North American makes regular cameo appearances in histories of the eastern reaches of the British Cape Colony (South Africa) before 1840. Presented in two parts, “Fathers and Sons” first looks at his North American family, with its deep experience in Indigenous affairs, its slaveholding, and its service to the British empire. The paper then brings this information to bear on Cuyler's role in the suppression of the Slachter’s Nek rebellion of 1815, which achieved mythological dimensions in South Africa. Focussing on this forceful imperial reaction to a weak uprising, the paper proposes that Cuyler viewed the rebel’s greatest treason as their threat to blur the frontier line that divided settlers from Xhosas. Theirs was a threat to partition. In keeping with this year’s Eisenberg Institute theme, this paper places one man and his shattered family at the center of struggles for order in the disorderly world of revolution, colonialism, and global war.
Greg Dowd (History and American Culture [AC]) is past Associate Dean for the Humanities, past chair of AC, and past Director of Native American Studies. His several published books and many articles explore the history of the Native North American East before 1850, but he has also touched on the history of South Africa, where he was a Fulbright fellow (1994) and a research fellow (2015-2016) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has had several fellowships and his current work is supported in part by the Michigan Humanities Award. He has won two teaching awards. He has worked for tribes in a treaty rights case. He received his Ph.D. in History at Princeton University (1986) and his BA in History from the University of Connecticut (1978).
This event presented by the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. It is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Kenneth and Frances Aftel Eisenberg.
Greg Dowd (History and American Culture [AC]) is past Associate Dean for the Humanities, past chair of AC, and past Director of Native American Studies. His several published books and many articles explore the history of the Native North American East before 1850, but he has also touched on the history of South Africa, where he was a Fulbright fellow (1994) and a research fellow (2015-2016) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has had several fellowships and his current work is supported in part by the Michigan Humanities Award. He has won two teaching awards. He has worked for tribes in a treaty rights case. He received his Ph.D. in History at Princeton University (1986) and his BA in History from the University of Connecticut (1978).
This event presented by the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. It is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Kenneth and Frances Aftel Eisenberg.
| Building: | Tisch Hall |
|---|---|
| Event Type: | Lecture / Discussion |
| Tags: | Africa, History, Humanities, International |
| Source: | Happening @ Michigan from Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, Department of History |
The Thursday Series is the core of the institute's scholarly program, hosting distinguished guests who examine methodological, analytical, and theoretical issues in the field of history.
The Friday Series consists mostly of panel-style workshops highlighting U-M graduate students. On occasion, events may include lectures, seminars, or other programs presented by visiting scholars.
The insitute also hosts other historical programming, including lectures, film screenings, author appearances, and similar events aimed at a broader public audience.
