New York Council for the Humanities: Reading Groups: Adult Reading Groups

Cultural Crossroads at the Hudson River Valley

This series is an exploration of the development of the Hudson River Valley region, discussing the ethical dilemmas, power dynamics and social and psychological tensions involved in the settlement of the Valley. Each session centers on a book selected by Gail Perry-Ryder, a graduate student at the City University of New York.

The series begins with a discussion of Les Sauvages Americans: Representations of Native Americans in French and English Literature by Gordon M. Sayre, an examination of how the Algonquin and Iroquois were described and defined by colonial explorers.

This session concentrates on Judith Richardson's Possesions: The History and Uses of Haunting in the Hudson River Valley, a look at how the idea of hauntings create a social memory and sense of place.

A conversation about The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America edited by Allan Greer offers the perspectives of 17th century French missionaries in America.

The series concludes with A.J. Williams-Myers' Long-Hammering: Essays on the Forging of an African American Presence in the Hudson River Valley to the Early Twentieth Century, an examination of African Americans in Hudson Valley society.