Events

Christy Pichichero, associate professor at George Mason University and the 2015 Tyree-Lamb Fellow of the American Revolution Institute, discusses her work on war and the Enlightenment in the context of French experiences during the American Revolution. French officers such as the marquis de Chastellux and the comte de Rochambeau—whose memoirs are a part of the Institute’s rich archival collections—considered themselves to be “military philosophers” who brought Enlightenment philosophical spirit to global military enterprise. Dr. Pichichero sheds light on their analyses of American people, customs and ways of war and shows how fighting in the American Revolution influenced their politics and worldviews in surprising ways. After the lecture, she will sign copies of her book The Military Enlightenment: War and Culture in the French Empire from Louis XIV to Napoleon (Cornell University Press, 2017).

The talk will last about 45 minutes, followed by a book signing and refreshments. Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event.

About the Speaker

Dr. Christy Pichichero (A.B., Princeton University; B.M., Eastman School of Music; Ph.D., Stanford University) is the associate professor of French and history at George Mason University. She is the author of The Military Enlightenment: War and Culture in the French Empire from Louis XIV to Napoleon (Cornell University Press, 2017), which was a finalist for the Oscar Kenshur Book Prize, as well as articles and chapters on military culture, theater, art history, the history of emotions, the philosophy of language, critical race studies and multiculturalism in early modern France. She is co-editor with Emily Marker of the edited collection “Race, Racism & the Study of France and the Francophone World Today” (H-France Salon, 2019). Pichichero was the 2015 Tyree-Lamb Fellow of the American Revolution Institute and has held fellowships at the Stanford Humanities Center, Cambridge University (King’s College), the École Normale Supérieure and West Point Military Academy. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Society for French Historical Studies, the Governing Council of the Western Society for French History and the Board of Directors of the Consortium on the Revolutionary Era.