As a starting point for our discussion, we will provide a copy of the most recent, although still limited, history of the college, Nature and Revelation: A History of Macalester College by Jeanne H. Kilde (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010.) We are also in the process of identifying additional works that discuss higher education in the context of issues related to slavery, decolonization, discrimination, and resistance. We will also work with materials in our college archives that highlight a history that is complex and diverse. We are looking for individuals who wish to engage in readings and conversations to address questions that include:
- What are the stories and voices that are included in dominant narratives about Macalester’s history? Who and what is absent from that history?
- Who were the pre-colonization inhabitants of the land on which the college is now built, including the specific history of colonization and displacement and how the college came to be developed in its current location?
- How can a new history expand on the history of multiculturalism and internationalism at Macalester and provide more light on key historical figures such as Catharine Lealtad, Esther Suzuki, Kofi Annan, as well as initiatives such as the EEO (Expanded Educational Opportunities Program)?
- Identify what other questions and issues group members might want to address as we explore and critically analyze Macalester’s history.
Nature and revelation : a history of Macalester college by