Friends Small Talk: Lorraine Atkin "Mightier Than the Sword"
On Wednesday, January 22, join the Friends for a special talk with Lorraine Atkin and Stan Katz. The pair will discuss Atkin’s new book, “Mightier Than the Sword: How Three Obscure Treaties Sanctioned the Enslavement of Millions and the Exploitation of Continents for more than 400 Years.”
Through the examination of three treaties – the Treaty of Tordesillas, the Treaties of Nanking, and the Conference of Berlin – Atkin offers a fresh perspective on the history of colonialism, empire, and state-sponsored dominion in western “civilization.” She posits that treaties, or words on paper, granted the permission, or the sanctioned rationale, to decree that the annihilation of millions and confiscation of property was legal and just on five continents. Documents written hundreds of years ago embody the bias and power strategies of their time. However, they became chains that were solidified by international law, that have become impossible to break. Battles win territory, treaties can change the world.
Current Friends of PUL members are invited to attend in person. (Plesae note the dress code for The Nassau Club is business casual attire.)
The presentation will also be available by Zoom for non-members.
Registration is required: Please select the appropriate registration type below. Due to limited capacity, membership status will be checked after registration.
- Date:
- Wednesday, January 22, 2025
- Time:
- 4:00pm - 5:00pm
- Location:
- The Nassau Club, 6 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
- Audience:
- Friends of Princeton University Library Student Friends of Princeton University Library
- Categories:
- Friends of the Princeton University Library Event
Lorraine Atkin
Lorraine Atkin is not just a longtime student of history, law, and politics, she also had a professional career as a leader in the fields of criminal justice and politics. All of which have produced a philosophy strongly committed to social justice that inspired her journey of discovery. She wrote “Mightier Than the Sword” with the hope that the reader can draw connections from the atrocities of the past from three historical documents to the adverse results we live with today. (From Atkin’s website)
Lorraine serves as the Chair of the Programming Committee for the Friends of PUL.
Stanley N. Katz
Stan Katz is Lecturer with rank of Professor of Public and International Affairs and Director, Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies at Princeton University. Katz is President Emeritus of the American Council of Learned Societies, the national humanities organization in the United States.
This event is part of the Friends of the Princeton University Library Small Talks Series.
View recordings of previous events.
Join the Friends of the Princeton University Library. Friends receive a newsletter, two issues of the Princeton University Library Chronicle, and are invited to participate in a variety of activities and events, including exhibition openings, lectures and talks, gala dinners, workshops on topics such as preservation, bookbinding, and print collecting.
To request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact pulcomm@princeton.edu at least 3 working days in advance.