This presentation begins with an account of the figure of the “virtuous pagan” in medieval European literature from the twelfth to the fifteenth century before turning to first-person accounts of Presbyterian and Moravian encounters with Lenape people in their traditional lands, which cover present-day New Jersey, southern New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware. Concluding with an overview of present-day collaborations with Lenape people on a global book history project (“Hidden Stories”), this presentation seeks to place the discipline of Medieval Studies in dialogue with Indigenous Studies, with a particular focus on the role of confessional identity in the colonial context, especially as this intersects with discourses of race and racialization.
April 1st, 2026, 5:30 PM
Old North 205
With special thanks to our co-sponsors, the Georgetown University Humanities Initiative, the Georgetown University American Studies Program, and the Georgetown University Department of Theology and Religious Studies
“The Virtuous Pagan in the ‘New World’: Indigenous Encounters with Christian Missionaries on Lenape Lands”
By Dr. Suzanne Conklin Akbari
Previous Events
