Faculty Lecture Series
About the event
The David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities at Washington State University offers an annual fellowship program to help support arts- and humanities-based research and creative activities from WSU faculty. This talk features two recipients of this fellowship who will present their ongoing projects.
“Faux: A History of Meat Replacements Through [x number of] Recipes”
Abstract: In this presentation, Talea Anderson will talk about about her research project, “Faux.” Over the coming year, she intends to write a book that will use recipes as an entry point for understanding the history of vegetarianism. Each chapter tells the story of a dish developed as a replacement for meat. Women, missionaries, and travelers played a significant—yet under-recognized—role in identifying, testing, and publicizing these foods. Their story will be highlighted in this talk.
Bio: Talea Anderson is a librarian at Washington State University. She holds master’s degrees in history and information science. She has explored food history in the past via journal articles and exhibits such as “Against the Grain: Lentils and Countercultural Eating on the Palouse.”
“Identity, Diversity, and Upheaval in History: A View from Southeastern Europe, 1870–1970”
Abstract: This talk explores the transformation of Southeastern Europe from 1870 and 1970, a century that saw the fall of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, the rise of nation-states, two world wars, and the Cold War. Situated at the intersection of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, the region provides a unique vantage point for understanding where history happens, and how global shifts and upheavals reshaped everyday lives and identities. Drawing on teaching materials developed with the support of the WSU Pollart Center Faculty Fellowship, the presentation will examine how individuals in the region navigated shifting borders and competing identities, and reflect on approaches for teaching this history.
Bio: Brenna Miller is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Washington State University, where, among other courses, she teaches in the Roots of Contemporary Issues Global History Program. She received her Ph.D. in History from The Ohio State University and specializes in twentieth-century Southeastern Europe, with research interests in nationalism, socialism, religion, and the Global Cold War. She also serves as Associate Director of History for the 21st Century, an initiative that develops open-access, active-learning teaching materials for world history instructors.