Events

The Dirty History of Soap

Historian Dr. Judith Ridner will explore the fascinating history of something we use every day: soap.

Dr. Ridner, professor of history at Mississippi State University and co-editor of Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, reveals how soap’s early beginnings of tallow and oils evolved across centuries and cultures to become the household product we rely upon for cleanliness of ourselves and our homes. 
Ridner is a historian of early America whose research focuses on the American frontier, ethnicity and immigration, and material culture. Much of her earlier scholarship examines eighteenth-century Pennsylvania and the Scots-Irish experience, but her work has broadened over time, 
She spent many years in Pennsylvania and has family members in Edinboro, Pa. 

She is currently completing two book projects. Clothing the Babel: The Material Culture of Ethnic Identity in Early America explores how clothing and personal adornment shaped perceptions of ethnic identity among European immigrants in eighteenth-century America. Her second project, The Dirty History of Soap, investigates the long global history of soapmaking and its role in daily life.

The lecture is free as part of the Hagen History Center Doris Becker Lecture Series, thanks to Mark Becker, who underwrites the series in honor of his late mother, Doris Becker. 

 Registrations is required, and a link will be available soon. Stay tuned!