The Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures from the U of A will be presenting their recent research project on early migration to the state of Arkansas on Tuesday, April 30, at 6 p.m. The presentation will take place at Tontitown City Hall, located at 235 Henri De Tonti Blvd.
The Italian Program, in collaboration with the Dept. of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, has been working with the Tontitown Historical Museum since 2019 to celebrate early migration into the state of Arkansas. Professors Ryan Calabretta-Sajder (Italian), Kathleen Condray (German) and Linda Jones (French & the Quapaw Nation) embarked on a research journey together in spring 2019 to recreate the past for the future.
The three scholars from the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures wrote a variety of grants to establish a “proof of concept” and then to put that concept into practice. Thanks to collaboration and support from various departments and organizations, the team won an Arkansas Humanities Council Grant to work on “Mapping Unheard Migrant Voices in Arkansas.”
This interactive Digital Humanities website allows a dive into the rich history of early migration to Arkansas, exploring the cultural experiences of the French, German, Italian and Quapaw people. The event will open with a presentation by Italian major Alessandro Palazzuoli-Bevilacqua on his internship with the Tontitown Historical Museum, collaborating on a new exhibit.
Parking is available onsite at City Hall. The event is free and open to the public. For any questions, please email Ryan Calabretta-Sajder, associate professor of Italian and section head, at calabret@uark.edu.