The Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe of April 1986 shook the world. Its radioactive plumes defied borders and sowed fear across Europe. Yet in Soviet Ukraine, Chornobyl became more than a chilling site of ecological and human trauma: it resounded as a clarion call that galvanized new currents of resistance against the Kremlin. A figure long cast out of Soviet society emerged in Ukrainian culture to symbolise this union of hope and despair: the Madonna. Join Rory Finnin, professor of Ukrainian studies at the University of Cambridge and visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame during the 2025-26 academic year, to explore the immediate aftermath of the Chornobyl disaster in searing works of Ukrainian documentary film, poetry, and prose. He will show how Marian imagery invigorated a political movement for Ukraine’s independence and liberty — a movement that played a decisive role in the collapse of the Soviet empire and resonates in Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression today. This event is open to Notre Dame students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars. A short reception will follow. About the SpeakerRory FinninRory Finnin is professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge. He established the Cambridge Ukrainian Studies program in 2008. Finnin has curated and organized over 40 exhibitions and cultural events, advancing public understanding of Ukraine’s language, history, and society in the UK and beyond. His research focuses on the interplay between culture and identity in Ukraine, with particular attention to Crimea and Crimean Tatar literature, and his broader interests include nationalism studies, solidarity studies, and cultural memory in the region of the Black Sea. Finnin received his Ph.D. in Slavic languages and comparative literature from Columbia University. He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine, 1995-97). Finnin has published extensively, and his book, Blood of Others: Stalin’s Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (University of Toronto Press), has received eight international awards, including the 2024 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, administered by the University of Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute for European Studies. Professor Finnin has also served as head of the Department of Slavonic Studies and chair of the Cambridge Committee for Russian and East European Studies. Originally published at nanovic.nd.edu.

Across the Continent: Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (1868) by Frances Flora Bond Palmer. Lithograph published in New York by Currier and Ives. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-03213.Thomas A. Tweed (University of Notre Dame) will discuss themes of his new book, Religion in the Lands That Became America: A New History (Yale University Press, 2025). Those interested in continuing the discussion are encouraged also to join the Dolan Seminar in American Religion the following morning. Both events are free and open to all. From the Publisher A sweeping retelling of American religious history, showing how religion has enhanced and hindered human flourishing from the Ice Age to the Information Age Until now, the standard narrative of American religious history has begun with English settlers in Jamestown or Plymouth and remained predominantly Protestant and Atlantic. Driven by his strong sense of the historical and moral shortcomings of the usual story, Thomas A. Tweed offers a very different narrative in this ambitious new history. He begins the story much earlier—11,000 years ago—at a rock shelter in present-day Texas and follows Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, transnational migrants, and people of many faiths as they transform the landscape and confront the big lifeway transitions, from foraging to farming and from factories to fiber optics. Setting aside the familiar narrative themes, he highlights sustainability, showing how religion both promoted and inhibited individual, communal, and environmental flourishing during three sustainability crises: the medieval Cornfield Crisis, which destabilized Indigenous ceremonial centers; the Colonial Crisis, which began with the displacement of Indigenous Peoples and the enslavement of Africans; and the Industrial Crisis, which brought social inequity and environmental degradation. The unresolved Colonial and Industrial Crises continue to haunt the nation, Tweed suggests, but he recovers historical sources of hope as he retells the rich story of America’s religious past. Originally published at cushwa.nd.edu.

The Center for Italian Studies is proud to announce that the 2nd Annual Dante Society of America Graduate Student Conference will be hosted by the University of Notre Dame. "Dante’s Other Worlds: Art, Language, and Imagination," is the second in a series of conferences organized by graduate students working in the field of Dante Studies in America. This opportunity allows younger dantisti in the Americas to present their work and research among other scholars. The conference will take place on Saturday, September 27, 2025 following a two-day symposium dedicated to the conference "Global Dante Translation and Reception," hosted by the University of Notre Dame. The symposium will be open to speakers and participants of the DSA conference. In those days, participants are encouraged to visit the exhibit “Commedia: Mapping Global Dante in Translation.” The collection includes every major translation from more than 24 languages, including rare ones such as Japanese (the first edition of the first translation), Korean, and Bangla, along with approximately 120 of the 137 existing English translations. Organizers:Beatrice Maria Rosso (University of Notre Dame)Stefano Scandella (New York University)Evan Underbrink (The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA) The full program schedule is available here. Originally published at italianstudies.nd.edu.

Disappearance Studies Conference The Journal of Disappearance Studies, in collaboration with the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, invites you to attend its inaugural conference, scheduled to take place from September 29–30, 2025, at the University of Notre Dame. This landmark event marks the official launch of the Journal of Disappearance Studies, edited by scholars affiliated with the University of Bristol, Durham University, and the University of Tampere, which offers an interdisciplinary platform to examine the phenomenon of disappearance worldwide. The conference will convene scholars, practitioners, policymakers, artists, families of the disappeared, and advocacy organizations to explore the socio-political, cultural, and economic dimensions of disappearance. Conference Schedule MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 299:45 AM – 10:15 AM: Opening remarks – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic Halls10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Panel 1, Memory, Art, and Embodied Testimony – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsAlison Ribeiro de Menezes – From Disappearance to Disappearability: Natalia Beristáin’s Ruido (Noise, 2023)Cheryl Lawther – The Political Lives of Ireland’s Missing: Ownership, Agency and the Demands of the DeadTeri Murphy – From Indignity to Dignity: Search as HealingPortia Chigbu – For Those Washed Away: State Obligations in Addressing Involuntary Disappearances During Natural Disasters 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM: Break1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 2, Power, Politics, and Mobilization – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsBahar Baser, Shivan Fazil and Élise Féron – Missing in the Shadows: Forced Disappearances of Yezidis and the Search for TruthCarlos Martin Beristain – Criterion of psychosocial work in the investigation of forced disappearances in Guatemala, Mexico, and ColombiaCarmen Hassoun Abou Jaoude – The National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared in Lebanon: challenges and opportunitiesGerasimos Tsourapas – Colonial Legacies and Authoritarian Circulations in Libya’s Disappearance Regime 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Evening Keynote, Luz Janet Forero Martinez, Director General of the Search Unit for Missing Persons in Colombia  – Hesburgh Center Auditorium 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Reception – Jenkins Nanovic Halls ForumTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Panel 3, Legal and Forensic Responses to Disappearance – Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic HallsLauren Dempster – Forensic Scientists in Transitional Justice: Challenges and Possibilities in the Search for the DisappearedGunes Dasli & Nisan Alici – Understanding Political Responses to Enforced Disappearances in Divided SocietiesMónica E. Nuño Nuño – Jalisco and enforced disappearances: a forensic crisis and mass graves 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Break 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel 4, Irish Perspectives on Disappearance – Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic HallsSandra Peake – Orchestrated loss and the Disappeared of Northern Ireland’s ConflictDympna Kerr – My brother ColumbaOrla Lynch – Victims of political violence – a very public traumaPhil Scraton – Disappearance, Loss and Searching: the Cruel Legacy of Mother and Baby InstitutionsJennifer O Mahoney – Disappearing girls and women: Gendered state violence and the ethics of institutional memory in postcolonial Ireland 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Book Launch, The Disappeared: The Hidden Victims of Northern Ireland's Conflict by Sandra Peake and Orla Lynch - Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic Halls 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 5, Feminist & Gendered Approaches to Disappearance – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsÉlise Féron – Feminist Approaches to Disappearances - Epistemologies of Activism and ResistanceAnush Petrosyan – War that Lingers: The Embodied Legacies of the Armenian - Azerbaijani ConflictTinotenda Chisambiro – The Stories of the Forgotten: Gendered Narratives of Disappearances in the Second ChimurengaSalina Kafle – Gendered Dimensions of Enforced Disappearances in Nepal: Addressing the Challenges of Women Survivors in Transitional Justice 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Panel 6, Unresolved Absence and the Search for Meaning – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsCath Collins – TBD, e.g., "Seeking 'Destino Final': The Limits of Resolution in Enforced Disappearances across Latin America"Julie Bernath – Syrian women’s everyday practices of ‘accounting for’ the disappearedRahaf Aldoughli – Loss, Loyalty, and the Emotional Aftermath of Disappearance: Syrian Fighters and the Mobilizing Power of AbsenceVilho Shigwedha – Missing people, amnesty, and reconciliation politics: The case of disappearance and unmarked war graves in northern Namibia5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Evening Keynote, Simon Robins – Hesburgh Center Auditorium  Registration for the conference is free but required. Please contact Elizabet Campos Duarte at eduarted@nd.edu to register.   Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Disappearance Studies Conference The Journal of Disappearance Studies, in collaboration with the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, invites you to attend its inaugural conference, scheduled to take place from September 29–30, 2025, at the University of Notre Dame. This landmark event marks the official launch of the Journal of Disappearance Studies, edited by scholars affiliated with the University of Bristol, Durham University, and the University of Tampere, which offers an interdisciplinary platform to examine the phenomenon of disappearance worldwide. The conference will convene scholars, practitioners, policymakers, artists, families of the disappeared, and advocacy organizations to explore the socio-political, cultural, and economic dimensions of disappearance. Conference Schedule MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 299:45 AM – 10:15 AM: Opening remarks – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic Halls10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Panel 1, Memory, Art, and Embodied Testimony – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsAlison Ribeiro de Menezes – From Disappearance to Disappearability: Natalia Beristáin’s Ruido (Noise, 2023)Cheryl Lawther – The Political Lives of Ireland’s Missing: Ownership, Agency and the Demands of the DeadTeri Murphy – From Indignity to Dignity: Search as HealingPortia Chigbu – For Those Washed Away: State Obligations in Addressing Involuntary Disappearances During Natural Disasters 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM: Break1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 2, Power, Politics, and Mobilization – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsBahar Baser, Shivan Fazil and Élise Féron – Missing in the Shadows: Forced Disappearances of Yezidis and the Search for TruthCarlos Martin Beristain – Criterion of psychosocial work in the investigation of forced disappearances in Guatemala, Mexico, and ColombiaCarmen Hassoun Abou Jaoude – The National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared in Lebanon: challenges and opportunitiesGerasimos Tsourapas – Colonial Legacies and Authoritarian Circulations in Libya’s Disappearance Regime 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Evening Keynote, Luz Janet Forero Martinez, Director General of the Search Unit for Missing Persons in Colombia  – Hesburgh Center Auditorium 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Reception – Jenkins Nanovic Halls ForumTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Panel 3, Legal and Forensic Responses to Disappearance – Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic HallsLauren Dempster – Forensic Scientists in Transitional Justice: Challenges and Possibilities in the Search for the DisappearedGunes Dasli & Nisan Alici – Understanding Political Responses to Enforced Disappearances in Divided SocietiesMónica E. Nuño Nuño – Jalisco and enforced disappearances: a forensic crisis and mass graves 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Break 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel 4, Irish Perspectives on Disappearance – Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic HallsSandra Peake – Orchestrated loss and the Disappeared of Northern Ireland’s ConflictDympna Kerr – My brother ColumbaOrla Lynch – Victims of political violence – a very public traumaPhil Scraton – Disappearance, Loss and Searching: the Cruel Legacy of Mother and Baby InstitutionsJennifer O Mahoney – Disappearing girls and women: Gendered state violence and the ethics of institutional memory in postcolonial Ireland 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Book Launch, The Disappeared: The Hidden Victims of Northern Ireland's Conflict by Sandra Peake and Orla Lynch - Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic Halls 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 5, Feminist & Gendered Approaches to Disappearance – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsÉlise Féron – Feminist Approaches to Disappearances - Epistemologies of Activism and ResistanceAnush Petrosyan – War that Lingers: The Embodied Legacies of the Armenian - Azerbaijani ConflictTinotenda Chisambiro – The Stories of the Forgotten: Gendered Narratives of Disappearances in the Second ChimurengaSalina Kafle – Gendered Dimensions of Enforced Disappearances in Nepal: Addressing the Challenges of Women Survivors in Transitional Justice 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Panel 6, Unresolved Absence and the Search for Meaning – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsCath Collins – TBD, e.g., "Seeking 'Destino Final': The Limits of Resolution in Enforced Disappearances across Latin America"Julie Bernath – Syrian women’s everyday practices of ‘accounting for’ the disappearedRahaf Aldoughli – Loss, Loyalty, and the Emotional Aftermath of Disappearance: Syrian Fighters and the Mobilizing Power of AbsenceVilho Shigwedha – Missing people, amnesty, and reconciliation politics: The case of disappearance and unmarked war graves in northern Namibia5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Evening Keynote, Simon Robins – Hesburgh Center Auditorium  Registration for the conference is free but required. Please contact Elizabet Campos Duarte at eduarted@nd.edu to register.   Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Join the Institute for Social Concerns on Friday afternoons on select home football weekends for MVP Fridays: lectures by national leaders, journalists, and writers on questions of meaning, values, and purpose. Reception and book signing to follow! For the weekend of the Boise State game, we welcome Timothy Egan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and award-winning author. Introduction by Darren Dochuk, the Andrew V. Tackes College Professor of History; William W. and Anna Jean Cushwa Co-director, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. Co-sponsored by the Department of American Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Sociology, and the Initiative on Race and Resilience. Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and award-winning author. His most recent book, A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them, is a historical thriller that was an immediate New York Times bestseller. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, called it “a harrowing look at forgotten chapter in American history.” The Immortal Irishman was a New York Times bestseller. His book on Edward Curtis, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher, was awarded the Carnegie Award for best nonfiction. His account of the Dust Bowl,The Worst Hard Time, won the 2006 National Book Award and he was featured prominently in the 2012 Ken Burns film on the Dust Bowl. A lifelong journalist, Mr. Egan worked as a national correspondent and opinion columnist for the New York Times, roaming the West. As a Times correspondent, he shared a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 with a team of reporters for its series, “How Race is Lived in America.” He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.