Explore the lives of women—Dutch, African, Indigenous, and English—who shaped and built New Netherland and colonial New York in the 17th and 18th centuries. Presented in partnership with the New Amsterdam Project and the Center for Women’s History at New-York Historical Society, this conference will feature two panel conversations and a keynote address inspired by the on-going translation of the papers of Alida Schuyler Livingston (1656-1727), an elite Dutch woman who exerted substantial influence over colonial politics, economics, and diplomacy. Her correspondence with her husband Robert Livingston (1654-1728) represents one of the most significant collections of women’s writing in 17th-Century North America. Leading historians and scholars will use Livingston’s surviving letters, business records, accounts, and documents to unearth the impact of women, including those enslaved by the Livingston family and those indigenous to the region, on the history of the Dutch and later British colony.
The conference will be held on Saturday, October 1st, from 1-6pm, in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium at the New-York Historical Society (170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024). A streaming option is also available.
Tickets for both the in-person and streaming events are available for $22 through New-York Historical Society’s website and by phone at (212) 485-9268, 9-5 daily. You may also purchase tickets in person during business hours.
Conference Program
1:00-1:10pm
Welcome from Deborah Hamer, NNI Director
1:10-2:15pm
“The Correspondence of Alida Livingston and Early American Women’s History” with panelists Russell Shorto (moderator), Director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New-York Historical Society; Valerie Paley (chair), Senior Vice President and Sue Ann Weinberg Director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library at the New-York Historical Society; Jos van der Linde, translator, Alida and Robert Livingston Correspondence; and Charles Gehring, Director of the New Netherland Research Center
2:15-2:30pm
Break
2:30-3:45pm
“Alida Livingston in Context: Women in New Netherland and Colonial New York” with panelists Deborah Hamer (moderator); Cynthia Kierner, Professor of History, George Mason University; Nicole Maskiell, Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina; Erin Kramer, Assistant Professor of History, Trinity University; and Andrea Mosterman, Associate Professor, Joseph Tregle Endowed Professor in Early American History, University of New Orleans
4:00-5:00pm
Keynote Address by Joy Bivins, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
5:00-6:00pm
Reception and presentation of the Hendricks Award and Van Slyke Article Prize
To register, please click here.
About the New Netherland Institute
For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America’s Dutch roots. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. NNI is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. For more information, please visit the New Netherland Institute website.