Shaker Village in nearby Hancock, Mass, was a Utopian community. So was the Oneida Community, one of several utopias in upstate New York. And there were many others, including Amana Colonies, New Harmony, Roycroft, and Buxton. All were – or are – American communities founded to fashion an exemplary world, one apart from society’s ills. Perennially popular Richard Voigt will appraise their successes in creating earthly paradises. Why and how did they rise and fall? And even in failure, did they influence the society they had renounced? This idea of going elsewhere to craft and control one's own world is ever with us. Let's explore it.
Richard Voigt is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Law School of the University of Virginia (“Mr. Jefferson’s University”). He served in the Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., before entering private law practice in Connecticut where he became a partner in the firm of McCarter & English, LLC. He also serves as a para-judicial officer for the U.S. District Court for Connecticut, and has been recognized for his work, including in Best Lawyers in America. He frequently lectures on American history and culture.
Tuesdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, 11, 18 | 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m. | KF Room/Harrison Libraries | $80
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Faculty and staff are eligible to take one Presidents' College lecture for free every semester, or to receive a one-session discount ($20) for a longer course. Contact Laurie Fasciano at fasciano@hartford.edu or 860 768 4495.