The History Department at UMass Lowell provides a broad introduction to civilizations of the past and present, including those of antiquity, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Read more...
On Tuesday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the History Department will be among those sponsoring a one-day conference at UMass Lowell: "Thomas Hobbes and his 'Leviathan.'" This interdisciplinary workshop will explore the English philosopher and political scientist Thomas Hobbes and his masterpiece, "Leviathan" (1651).
The UMass Lowell Library will showcase its rare first edition of this text, which includes marginal notes and glosses from prior owners. Together with John Locke and later French philosophers like Voltaire and Montesquieu, Hobbes offered critical ideas about state power, the social contract, and democracy—topics that continue to resonate in 2026.
The conference will feature brief contributions from UMass Lowell faculty and students across a range of departments, including Art History, English, History, Philosophy, and Political Science.
The conference will take place at University Crossing, Room 260 (Moloney Hall). Lunch will be provided.
For more information, please email Professor Kevin Petersen at Kevin_Petersen@uml.edu or Professor Christopher Carlsmith at Christopher_Carlsmith@uml.edu.
Image by The British Museum. The frontispiece engraving to Thomas Hobbes's book Leviathan, designed by Abraham Bosse.
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