2026 News and Events
Spring 2026
This year's Zamanakos Lecture will take place on Thursday, March 26. The guest speaker will be Konstantinos Nikoloutsos (Saint Joseph’s University). His lecture, "1956 is Greek to Filmmakers:' Recreating the Ancient Battlefield in Cold War Hollywood," will examine the sociohistorical conditions that led to the emergence of Greek antiquity as a cherished theme in American cinema during the early Cold War years. It will trace Hollywood’s fascination with armed conflict in the classical world and will explore how cinematic re-creations of ancient warfare reflect, and refract, the geopolitical tensions of the modern era. The lecture will take place from 6-7 p.m. in Coburn Hall room 255 and will be followed by a reception from 7-8 p.m. For more information, please contact Professor Jane Sancinito via email at Jane_Sancinito@uml.edu.
On Thursday, March 19, History alum Kate Ditullio ('13) will be visiting UMass Lowell to give a talk as part of the History Department's "Life After a History Major" series. She will discuss her trajectory from high school teacher in schools ranging from here in Lowell to Morocco to graduate school at Yale. The talk will begin at 4 p.m. in Coburn Hall, room 110. Kate will then be the guest speaker at the Phi Alpha Theta (the national history honor society) induction beginning at 6 p.m. in the Allen House. For more information, please email Professor Abby Chandler at Abigail_Chandler@uml.edu.
February is Black History Month. As part of the Dean's Speaker Series, on Monday, March 2, Harvey Amani Whitfield will give a lecture: "From Slavery in America to Slavery in Canada: Ca. 1760s to 1810." This lecture will discuss the lives of four enslaved African American women who remained slaves in Canada after the Revolutionary War and explore how enslaved people in Canada navigated their new surroundings, fought to keep their families together, and resisted slavery. "From Slavery in America to Slavery in Canada" will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. For any questions, please contact Professor Daniel Broyld via email at Daniel_Broyld@uml.edu.
The year 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of Lowell's foundation as a city. In honor of this significant anniversary, University Professor Emeritus Bob Forrant will be writing history essays once a month for "The Lowell Sun." His first two articles were published on Sunday, January 25: "Lowell Bicentennial: Sharing Lowell’s important place in history" and "Lowell Bicentennial: The Irish in the new mill city."