2019 Mari Sandoz Symposium, September 20-21, 2019
"Populism"
Populism was the theme of the 2019 Mari Sandoz Symposium at the High Plains Heritage Center on the Chadron State College campus. September 19-21, 2019, at Chadron State College. The Thursday and Friday events take place on the college campus and Saturday morning's session will be held downtown.
Dr. Jeff Wells of the University of Nebraska – Kearney discussed the “Populism of Jules Sandoz and Mari Sandoz.” In Old Jules, Mari Sandoz offers glimpses of her father’s politics and involvement with the Populist movement.
Sandoz’ book Capital City, considered her most political work, was Viewed Through Two Lenses. The 1939 book mixed fact and fiction to create compelling narratives. Mary Clai Jones, an assistant professor of literature at CSC and Chris Steinke, an assistant professor of history at UNK, unpacked the meanings of the work.
"The People's Populism: The Shaping and Reshaping of Populism in Latin America, 1950s-2010s" was explained by Dr. Maria L.O. Munoz, history department chair at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
Northeast Nebraska farmer Graham Christensen discussed regenerative agriculture, why soil health practices must be adopted by farmers and ranchers holistically, and gave highlights of recent activities surrounding regenerative agriculture in Nebraska.
The Populism of Jules Sandoz and Mari Sandoz
In Old Jules, Mari Sandoz offers glimpses of her father’s politics and involvement with the Populist movement. Through his attendance at Farmers’ Alliance and People’s Party meetings, correspondence with Populist newspapers, and a brief campaign for elected office as a Populist, Jules Sandoz joined with the millions of Americans expressing discontent in the late nineteenth century. In this address, Dr. Jeff Wells, associate professor and chair of the History Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, will explore Jules’s activities in the context of the Populist movement in Nebraska and beyond. He will also discuss other examples of how Mari Sandoz engaged with populist themes.
Speaker: Dr. Jeff Wells, University of Nebraska Kearney
Capital City Viewed Through Two Lenses
Mari Sandoz published Capital City in 1939, and the novel is generally considered her most political work. As with all her writings, Sandoz mixed fact and fiction to create compelling narratives. In this session, Mary Clai Jones – an assistant professor of literature at Chadron State College – and Chris Steinke – an assistant professor of history at the University of Nebraska-Kearney – unpack the fictive and historical elements and meanings of Sandoz’s efforts. They will also discuss the book's publication history and reception in the city of Lincoln.
Speakers: Dr. Mary Clai Jones, English Department, Chadron State College and Dr. Christopher Steinke, History Department, University of Nebraska Kearney
The People's Populism: The Shaping and Reshaping of Populism in Latin America, 1950s-2010s
The literature on populism in Latin America during the 20th Century tends to focus on its leaders, often public officials and visible political figures such as presidents, governors, and mayors. The analysis of populism as a process, movement and/or phenomenon, tends to be focused on these high-ranking figures. However, recent scholarship point to those who support populists as having a role in shaping populism discourse and projects. In examining the ways the sectors that support populists we can move beyond an analysis that frames populists as demagogues and their support base as naive and unintelligent to try and understand the motivations of "the people."
Speaker: Dr. Maria L.O. Munoz, Susquehanna University
RegeNErate Nebraska: Growing Nebraska Communities From The Ground Up
Presentation will address what regenerative agriculture is, why soil health practices must be adopted by farmers and ranchers holistically, plus highlights recent activities surrounding regenerative agriculture in Nebraska.
Speaker: Graham Christensen, RegeNErate Nebraska
Panel Discussion "Populism in the Panhandle: Something Less Than a Movement"
The Populist Movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century swept across agrarian America. Speaking out against economic injustice, it found receptive audiences on the Great Plains, in the Midwest, and in the Deep South. Nebraska was home to some of its most prominent figures – William Jennings Bryan is a case in point. Out in Sandoz country, however, the reception of the Populist agenda was mixed. In this panel, David A. Nesheim – Associate Professor of History at Chadron State – and a panel of CSC undergraduates explore Populism’s reception in the Panhandle region and the other issues that captured Chadron, Hemingford, and Valentine residents’ attention based on front-page newspaper coverage.
Moderator: Dr. David Nesheim, Chair, History Department, Chadron State College
Panelists: Sydney Bintliff, Chris Brening, Chase Clasen, Kristina McGann, Kaylee Peck, Jodell Schulte (Chadron State College Students)
Plains Populism in the Writings of Mari Sandoz
Mari Sandoz brought alive for her readers in the most memorable ways the complexity of populism and populist currents as they unfolded on the Plains and were shaped by Plains people and the land. She inscribed a gendered populism, and her work lends insight into the way in which populism in Western Nebraska differed from populism in urban areas and was shaped by colonization and decolonization of the Plains. This talk will explore Plains populism in the writings of Mari Sandoz, considering the ways in which the environment, economy, populism, gender, and colonization interact in Sandoz’s work to define Plains populism.
Speaker: Dr. Lisa Pollard
