From the Vermont Humanities Speakers Bureau and hosted by SAM, this virtual lunchtime talk is part of our new series SAM Talks. These talks are free and open to the public.

THE SPEAKER

William Edelglass is Director of Studies at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Emerson College. His writing and teaching engage Buddhist studies, environmental humanities, and philosophy. William’s recent publications have addressed mindfulness and ethics; meditation and well-being; the ethics of difference and climate change; B. R. Ambedkar’s Buddhist political thought; non-violence and justice.

THE TALK

The first European to divide the peoples of the world into distinct races, in the seventeenth century, claimed that the Sami people of northern Scandinavia were one of four races on earth; Native Americans, Europeans, South Asians, and North Africans together were considered a second race. How did such a bizarre distinction among groups of people develop into one of the most historically significant ideas of the modern world? Professor William Edelglass will trace the intellectual history of the concept of race in the West, from its prehistory to today. Prepare your lunch and join us for a thought-provoking discussion.