The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire

Photo of a black Madonna figurine on a church altar
September 25, 2023
4:00PM - 5:30PM
198 Hagerty Hall

Date Range
2023-09-25 16:00:00 2023-09-25 17:30:00 The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire Angel Evans, Ph.D. student in English, will present her talk, "The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire."This talk will examine the perceived rhetorical identity of 14th-15th century Black Madonna relics in France. Central questions include: What public rhetoric(s) continue to inform the presence of Black Madonnas locally and abroad? As suggested by scholar Monique Scheer, how have discourses of “Eastern provenance” shaped the racial identity attributed to “La Vierge Noire” (making)? On the other hand, what historical patterns of racial "erasure" might we observe (un-making)? Together, we'll consider how these questions might help us make sense of ongoing processes of rhetorical construction/symbolic representation within "texts"--i.e. words, images, architecture, and historic sites such as La Vierge Noire.  A one-page summary of her talk is attached below. This event is free and open to the public. Co-hosted by the Humanities Institute. Angel Evans is a PhD student specializing in composition, rhetoric and literacy. She's interested in how culturally-relevant language practices function as modes of empowerment and healing, particularly for marginalized communities. She's also interested in “global” and “public” writing contexts. The Humanities Institute and its related centers host a wide range of events, from intense discussions of works in progress to cutting-edge presentations from world-known scholars, artists, activists and everything in between.We value in-person engagement at our events as we strive to amplify the energy in the room. But we also recognize the fact that not all our guests will be able to visit our space. Zoom access will be available to this event upon request. If you wish to have such access, please send your request to Connor Behm: behm.42@osu.edu. 198 Hagerty Hall America/New_York public

Angel Evans, Ph.D. student in English, will present her talk, "The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire."

This talk will examine the perceived rhetorical identity of 14th-15th century Black Madonna relics in France. Central questions include: What public rhetoric(s) continue to inform the presence of Black Madonnas locally and abroad? As suggested by scholar Monique Scheer, how have discourses of “Eastern provenance” shaped the racial identity attributed to “La Vierge Noire” (making)? On the other hand, what historical patterns of racial "erasure" might we observe (un-making)? Together, we'll consider how these questions might help us make sense of ongoing processes of rhetorical construction/symbolic representation within "texts"--i.e. words, images, architecture, and historic sites such as La Vierge Noire.  A one-page summary of her talk is attached below. 

This event is free and open to the public. Co-hosted by the Humanities Institute. 

Angel Evans is a PhD student specializing in composition, rhetoric and literacy. She's interested in how culturally-relevant language practices function as modes of empowerment and healing, particularly for marginalized communities. She's also interested in “global” and “public” writing contexts. 

The Humanities Institute and its related centers host a wide range of events, from intense discussions of works in progress to cutting-edge presentations from world-known scholars, artists, activists and everything in between.

We value in-person engagement at our events as we strive to amplify the energy in the room. But we also recognize the fact that not all our guests will be able to visit our space. Zoom access will be available to this event upon request. If you wish to have such access, please send your request to Connor Behm: behm.42@osu.edu.