Oil and the International History of the Twentieth Century

The Department of History and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation are pleased to announce a new public lecture series, part of the John E. Sawyer Seminars on the Comparative Study of Cultures, held in 2014-2015 at Boston University.

Following the collapse of communism, and the earlier defeat of fascism, many Americans take for granted the triumph of liberal democracy. Since 1991, alternatives to free markets and representative democracy increasingly appear oddly misguided or inevitably doomed. Because Americans “know” that democracy and capitalism work best, once urgent ideological questions now appear “settled.” The bitter debates and divides of the twentieth century seem almost quaint, especially to young people. As World War II becomes more myth than memory, as the Cold War begins to seem a curious artifact, and as the styles and technologies of previous decades command interest chiefly as subjects of nostalgia, persuading students and the public that the recent past possesses more than antiquarian interest presents a growing challenge. The time is ripe for taking stock of the twentieth century and renewing its relevance to contemporary political culture.

David S. Painter, Associate Professor of History at Georgetown University, will give the first keynote lecture in the series. Painter’s research focuses on the political economy of US foreign relations, especially as it relates to the international oil industry. His publications include "Oil and the American Century" in The Journal of American History and The Cold War: An International History. Painter's keynote lecture is titled, “Oil and the International History of the Twentieth Century.”

Please join us for a reception to follow the keynote lecture.