Dialogue and Debate: Questioning Commemorations
Date: Nov 13
7:00 pm
- 8:30 pm
Where: Theatre
How do we commemorate war? Whose stories get told? And when do we tell them? Join The Rooms and Memorial University for Dialogue and Debate: Questioning Commemorations to challenge our ideas and preconceptions on what it means to remember.
Dialogue and Debate is an event series that invites experts from Memorial University to discuss and expand on the collections and exhibitions featured at The Rooms. The discussions are lively, informative and designed for the public.
This is a free event but a ticket is required. Reserve your free ticket online or by calling (709)757-8090.
Featured Debaters:
Dr. Vicki Hallett
Dr. Vicki Hallett is a settler Newfoundlander and an associate professor in the Department of Gender Studies at Memorial University, where she teaches on topics such as feminist theory, genders and sexualities, and masculinities. Currently interim academic editor of Memorial University Press, she also researches and writes about the complex ways identity and place are created and expressed through life narrative. Her primary focus in these endeavours is the people of Newfoundland and Labrador whose stories have shaped and been shaped by this place, yet haven’t received the attention and honour they deserve. Dr. Hallett has authored multiple scholarly works, including the book Mistress of the Blue Castle: The Writing Life of Phebe Florence Miller (ISER Books, 2018), which was shortlisted for the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards in 2019.
Dr. Lucian Ashworth
Dr. Lucian Ashworth is a professor of political science at Memorial University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prior to joining Memorial, he taught and researched at the University of Limerick in Ireland for 16 years. He is the author of A History of International Thought (Routledge, 2014), and his main area of research interest is international relations. He is currently writing a book on international relations and time for the Routledge Worlding Beyond the West series, and he teaches the popular course, The Global Politics of the End of the World (As We Know It).
Events & Programs
Behold the Blades of the Sea: Join historian, Lee Gillis as he explores the rich history and evolution of swords featured in The Rooms permanent collection.
From Napoleonic sabers to ceremonial swords of the First World War, learn how political upheaval and global conflict shaped the advancement of sword design and technology.
Cost: $12 plus HST. Free for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709) 757-8090.
About the Presenter:
Historian, Lee Gillis specializes in arms and armor. While his primary focus has been on the medieval period, he has worked with weapons and objects ranging from the Bronze Age to World War II.
He earned a B.A. in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) and later completed a Master’s Degree in Museum and Artefact Studies at Durham University in England.
To support this research, Lee began training in sword fighting in 2012 and took up blacksmithing and blade-making to gain a comprehensive understanding on the form and function of bladed weaponry.
Since October 2024, he has been volunteering at The Rooms, where he has identified, researched, and catalogued nearly one hundred objects in the collection, including a significant number of swords and other bladed weapons.