Join the World History Center on March 17th for a lecture by queer and disability studies scholar J. Logan Smilges (University of British Columbia), titled “Death Among the Trees: Worry as Care and Fear in 1990s Appalachia.” Based on a chapter from their third book and drawing from a deeply personal family history of cruising culture in West Virginia, Smilges explores how worry—both as care and fear—shapes historical actors’ relationship to space and community. Metaphysics (e.g., time, space, matter) have a powerful influence on affect and feeling, and by approaching this relationship through queer and disability studies, Smilges seeks to reframe how we assess archival documentation. Following Dr. Smilges’ talk, Pitt alumnus and 20th-century queer history scholar Nick Demjan will provide some prepared remarks and open the floor to questions and further discussion. This event is part of the series "Silence in the Narrative: The Politics of Absence in Accounts of the Global Past."

RSVP here! RSVPs appreciated but not required.