Admission is free and open to the public.
A reception will immediately follow the presentation. Orser, who was named to the position last year, and all distinguished professors at Illinois State hold their titles throughout their years of service to the University. Orser s lecture will focus on early 19 th century rural Ireland and the place of its men and women in the expanding global marketplace. According to Orser, much of what we think we know about rural Ireland in the years between 1800 and 1850 stems from the writings of travelers and missionaries, many of whom may have had biased perspectives rooted in class, national and religious affiliations. Visitors accounts are often invaluable in the study of the past, but like all sources, they contain inherent limitations.