PortalInterdisciplinary Perspectives on Military History
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About the Event | Schedule | Sponsors and Partners
About the Event
Format & Venue
Over the 2026-2027 academic year there will be four interdisciplinary round-table sessions. Each session will consist of three to four short presentations (10-15 minutes each) followed by a moderated round-table discussion and audience Q&A. Events are scheduled for the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor and are designed to encourage interdisciplinary conversation and public engagement. A reception will follow each session.
The series is free and open to the public courtesy of YSU's Department of Humanities & Social Sciences and YSU's Department of Art.
With a reserved pass, the Steel Museum has free on-site parking in their lot with priority to the disabled and the presenters. YSU Students, Faculty and Staff are encouraged to park in YSUs adjacent lot, M50. Additional Parking can be reserved by calling YSU Parking Services at 330-941-3546.
Audience
The series is designed for a broad interdisciplinary audience including faculty, students, staff, veterans, and members of the wider community interested in the historical, cultural, social, and political dimensions of military conflict. Faculty are encouraged to share events with students.
Schedule
Round-table session 1
When & Where
- October 12, 2026 (Indigenous People's Day)
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM @ Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor
What & Who
- Title: Conquest, Memory, and Indigenous Resistance
- Description: Spanning ancient civilizations, colonial North America, and modern cultural memory, this session explores how warfare, conquest, and Indigenous resistance have been experienced, narrated, and remembered across time.
- Dr. Luke Hardy
- Dr. Matt O’Mansky
- Dr. David Simonelli
- Moderated by Dr. Martha Pallante
Round-Table Session 2
When & Where
- November 11, 2026 (Veteran's Day)
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM @ Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor
What & Who
- Title: Remembering War: Memory, Media, and Cultural Trauma
- Description: From historical memory and postwar identity to film and visual representation, this session investigates how societies remember, interpret, and reconstruct the experience of war across generations.
- Dr. Amy Fluker
- Dr. Kyle Starkey
- Dr. Laura Beadling
- Moderated by Dr. Stephanie Smith
Round-Table Session 3
When & Where
- February 23, 2027 (marks start of the Russian February Revolution)
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM @ Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor
What & who
- Title: War and Social Transformation
- Description: This session examines how warfare reshapes societies through political upheaval, shifting social hierarchies, economic disruption, and evolving structures of power across different historical periods.
- Dr. Tomi Ovaska
- Dr. Tim Francisco
- Dr. Joe Alessi
- Moderated by Dr. Martha Pallante, Dr. Laura Beadling, and Dr. Stephanie Smith
Round-Table Session 4
When & Where
- March 22, 2027 (marks the 1622 Powhatan Uprising (Jamestown Massacre))
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM @ Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor
What & Who
- Title: Landscapes of Conflict: Environment, Borders, and Military Space
- Description: From Roman frontier systems to modern warfare and environmental history, this session explores how landscapes, borders, geography, and built infrastructure shape military power, imperial control, and human experience during conflict.
- Dr. Martha Pallante
- Dr. Stephanie Smith
- Dr. Brian Bonhomme
- Dr. Dawna Cerney
- Moderated by Dr. Laura Beadling
Sponsors / Partners
