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Fifteenth Abbeville Institute Summer School
July 9, 2017 - July 14, 2017
$1128 - $1956Event Navigation

ON BEING SOUTHERN IN AN AGE OF RADICALISM
St Christopher Conference Center, July 9-14, 2017
Seabrook Island, South Carolina
The South has a depth of meaning not available to other regions of the country. It is older than the United States, and for four years it was a nation fighting for its independence. It has known tragedy, greatness, and humility. Having changed, it has yet retained a substantial character. To be Southern does not require being born in the South, nor to be of a specific race or ethnic group, nor is it an ideology. M.E. Bradford defined Southern identity as “a vital long lasting bond among those who have contributed to it.” And Flannery O’Connor said “It lies very deep. In its entirety, it is known only to God, but of those who look for it, none gets so close as the artist.”
Join us for a thoughtful discussion of Southern Identity and the posture it should assume in an increasingly shallow and fractured “American” national identity.
PROGRAM
SUNDAY, JULY 9
4:00-6:00 Registration; St.Christopher Orientation at 5:45 in the Temple
6:00-7:00 Supper (All meals in cafeteria)
7:00-8:00 “Southern Identity and Its Contested Relation to “American” Identity,
Donald Livingston
8:00- Conviviality
MONDAY, JULY 10
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 “The Classical Origins of Southern Identity in Literature, Part I,” James Kibler
10:00-11:00 “The Unshaken Rock: The Jeffersonian Tradition in America,” Ryan Walters
11:00-12-00 “Southerners: A Pilgrim People, Part I” Bill Wilson
12:00-1:00 Dinner
1:00-4:00 Free Time
4:00-5:00 “The Failure of American Conservatism Under the Shadow of the World Wars,”
Carey Roberts
5:00-6:30 Seminar: “Origins of Southern Identity.”
6:30-7:30 Supper
7:30-8:30 “The South in Poetry: Landscapes, History, Characters,” Catharine Brosman
8:30- Conviviality
TUESDAY, JULY 11
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 “Four Independent Louisiana Poets,” Catharine Savage Brosman
10:00-11:00 “The Classical Origins of Southern Identity in Literature, Part II,” James Kibler
11:00-12:00 “Federalism as the Cure for an Ideological Age,’ Carey Roberts
12:00-1:00 Dinner
1:00-4:00 Free Time
4:00-5:00 “What is Wrong With Ideology?” Donald Livingston
5:00-6:30 Seminar: “Two Types of American Individualism”
6:30-7:30 Supper
7:30- Conviviality
WEDNESDAY, JULY12
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-5:00 Free Time. We will spend the day in historic Charleston. Walking tours will be available for those not familiar with the city. The rest are on your own. Suggestions will be made for things to do and see. At 5:00 sharp we meet for a reception at the Carolina Yacht Club, 50 East Bay St. Charleston, SC. followed by a Banquet, and an address by Major General James Livingston, Medal of Honor Recepient. Afterwards departure to St.Christopher Conference Center.
Thursday, July 13
8:00-9:00 “‘New South’ Voices of the Southern Tradition, Brion McClanahan
9:00-10:00 “What Was the New South?” Clyde Wilson
11:00-12:00 ““Lyon Gardiner Tyler and Southern History,” Brion McClanahan
12:00-1:00 Dinner
1:00-4:00 Free Time
4:00-5:00 “Southerners: A Pilgrim People, Part II,” Bill Wilson
5:00-6:30 Seminar: “An Attempt at Definition of Southern Identity”
6:30-7:30 Supper
7:30-8:30 Conviviality
Friday, July 14
8:00-9:00 Breakfast and Departure
DISTINGUISHED GUEST LECTURER
James Livingston (Major General, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient)
PLACE
St. Christopher Conference on beautiful Seabrook Island. Wednesday will be spent touring the historic sights of Charleston.
COST
The cost for tuition, room, board, and continuous refreshments for five days is $1,128 (single) and $1,956 (double). The conference is open to the public, but preference is given to college and graduate students who are encouraged to apply (and soon as space is limited). Scholarships are available. To apply contact donlivingston45@gmail.com or phone (843) 323 0690.