Athenaeum of Philadelphia, November 2, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
As controversial as immigration policy has been in the current national election, Philadelphia, like many older American cities, credits immigrants with boosting the city’s population in the twenty-first century after decades of decline. These newcomers are but one wave of many over generations that have left their mark on the character of the region. Yet few area residents are aware of either the diversity or the location of immigrant settlement over the years, let alone what their impact has been in changing neighborhoods like South Philadelphia or towns throughout the metropolitan area. Illustrating their contribution to community-based knowledge in a changing media environment, editors and authors of the The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia will show how this form of scholarship can address even the most contentious of contemporary issues.
Panelists include Charlene Mires, Professor of History at Rutgers-Camden and author of Independence Hall in American Memory; Domenic Vitiello, Associate Professor of City Planning and Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of a forthcoming book on recent immigration to the Philadelphia area; Caroline Golab, Associate Dean, Academic & Student Affairs, Thomas Jefferson University; and Howard Gillette, Professor Emeritus of History at Rutgers-Camden and author of Camden after the Fall.
This event has received generous support from the Henry Paul Busch Fund.
Reception to follow.
Athenaeum Members: Free. RSVP by calling 215-925-2688 or emailing events@philaathenaeum.org
Non-Members: $10