Costello Lecture Series
This lecture series in European history was established to honor the memory of Brother Casimir Gabriel Costello, one of many faculty from the order of the Brothers of the Christian School who have contributed over the years to the academic reputation of Manhattan College. Brother Gabriel came to Manhattan in 1949 with a new Ph.D. from Fordham to assume the chairmanship of the history department. Over his long tenure at the college, he built up the history department, earning the sobriquet "Mr. History." Brother Gabriel also served as Dean of the College, where he stressed that the college must offer a liberal education to all of its students, no matter what their area of concentration, declaring, "The College exists primarily for the cultivation of intellectual virtues and these can never yield primacy to either the functional or vocational." In this spirit, Brother Gabriel defended academic freedom, especially in the dark days of the McCarthy era. Following the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, much of his time and energy went into adapting its teachings to the life and organization of the Brothers, both here on campus, in the province, and around the world. While Brother Gabriel respected tradition, he believed that it should not become a straitjacket, rather it should provide a starting point for progress. In that vein, he supported the Pacem in Terris Institute at the college, which has evolved into the Peace Studies Program. The lecture series is sponsored by one of Brother Gabriel's many grateful students: Roger Goebel, Professor of Law at Fordham University and Director of the Center on European Union Law there, who graduated from Manhattan College in 1957 with a degree in history.
From its inception, the series has attracted leading historians, most recently Professor David Bell of Johns Hopkins University.
The 2008 Costello Lecture
The Culture of War and Peace
in Europe, 1750-1815
presented by
David A. Bell
David Bell is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University, where he is also Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. An internationally recognized scholar, he is the author of numerous works on French and European history. The recipient of the Leo Gershoy Prize from the American Historical Association for his 2001 book, The Cult of the Nation in France: Inventing Nationalism 1680-1800, he recently published The First Total War: Napoleon’s Europe and the Birth of War as We Know It. Brother Casimir Gabriel Costello was a long-time member of Manhattan’s History Department, who had a special interest in the period of the French Revolution.
Wednesday, October 29, 4:00 P.M.
Smith Auditorium
Sponsored by the History Department and the School of Arts |
Claire Nolte, department chair, introducing the speaker |
David Bell presenting the 2008 Costello lecture |
Current history faculty at the lecture. From left:
George Kirsch, Julie Pycior, Claire Nolte, Jennifer Edwards, and Jeff Horn |
Relatives of Brother Gabriel Costello. From left: Kieran McCaffrey (nephew), Patty Stack (niece), Claire Nolte (department chair), Jack Stack (nephew-in-law) |
Past and present members of the history department, with Costello relatives. From left: George Mahoney, Joseph Castora, George Kirsch, Jeff Horn,
Jack Stack, Claire Nolte, Patty Stack, Frederick Schweitzer, Jennifer Edwards, Julie Pycior. |
PREVIOUS LECTURES IN THIS SERIES
2002: Robert Darnton, Princeton University "What was Revolutionary about the French Revolution?"
2003: Theodore Rabb, Princeton University: "The Renaissance: Birthplace of the Modern World."
2004: Carolyn Walker Bynum, Institute for Advanced Study: "Did Medieval Women See Visions?"
2005: Stephen Cohen: Princeton University & New York University "'The Question of All Questions': Why did the Soviet Union End?"
2006: George Saliba, Columbia University: “The Influence of Islamic Science on the European Renaissance”. This lecture was co-sponsored by the Upsilon of New York Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, located at Manhattan College
2007: Desmond Dinan, George Mason University: “Interests, Institutions, and Individuals: A History of the European Union”
Last updated: 02/09
