Cobb to give Founders Day and Global Georgia lectures

Our favorite historian, B. Phinizy Spalding Distinguished Professor in the History of the American South James C. Cobb, kicks of the Global Georgia Initiative with a lecture at 4 p.m. in the Chapel on Jan. 29:

He will discuss "De-Mystifying Dixie: Southern History and Culture in Global Perspective."

"My hope is to demonstrate that much of the South's perceived weirdness relative to the rest of the United States falls away when it is viewed in global context," said Cobb of his Global Georgia lecture. "In other words, seen as ‘a part of the world,' it seems less ‘a world apart.' "

And then the very next day on the same Chapel stage, Cobb will present the 11th Annual Founders Day Lecture at 2 p.m.

Cobb's talk is titled "I Don't Believe I'd a' Told That! Understanding the South Through Humor."

"My predecessors at the podium have set a very high standard," said Cobb, a faculty member in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "I can only hope that, as we celebrate our university's rise to national and global prominence, my remarks will affirm the importance of staying in touch with its cultural roots as well."

Cobb is one of the foremost scholars of Southern history and culture and among the first to write broadly about the South in a global context.

Unusual but good for Cobb to make himself available for two important public lectures in two days. Don't miss either one.

Image: James C. Cobb.  Photo by Christopher T. Martin