Please join Special Collections and the Davis Center at a Claiming Williams workshop on Williams College and Hawai’i, Thursday February 6, 9:15-10:45, in Sawyer 452.
In the summer of 1806, five Williams students took shelter beside a haystack during a storm. At the haystack, these students discussed their common interest in converting people around the world to Christianity. By 1810, they had gone on to form the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) – a missionary organization that operated in throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Mexico.
Participants in this workshop will examine materials from the College Archives that document the long and varied histories of Williams alumni and missionary projects. In particular, we will focus on the complex interconnections between Williams College and Hawai‘i. For generations, Williams alumni and their descendants made their way to and from Hawai‘i, forging inextricable links between two places. Several Williams affiliates and alumni played significant roles in the colonization of Hawai‘i and the overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani in 1893. The objects that we encounter together in this workshop will serve as the basis for a conversation about Hawaiian sovereignty, American imperialism, and the inextricably linked histories of Williams College and Hawai‘i.
Sponsors: This program is jointly presented by Special Collections and the Davis Center, with co-sponsorship from the Minority Coalition and the Departments of Political Science, History, and Anthropology & Sociology.
Accessibility Information: The Special Collections Reading Room is Room 452 on the 4th Floor of Sawyer Library. There is an elevator to access this floor. After you’ve entered the main entrance of Sawyer (level 3), go past the circulation desk and turn left before you reach the main staircase. The elevator will be on your left about two thirds of the way toward the end of the building. There are all-gender restrooms on the third floor of Sawyer.
Please RSVP here to indicate your interest in attending this program. To help preserve fragile documents, please do not bring pens, food, or liquids into the special collections instruction room. There are lockers outside the room where you can securely lock your belongings during the session.
Contact: Please contact Julia Rossi ([email protected]) or Aly Corey ([email protected]) with any questions.