In our post-9/11 world, much attention has been paid to memorial and how to shape memory.  Kenneth Foote has researched this topic extensively, both prior to and after Sept. 11, 2001.  Foote, who received his B.A.from UW-Madison, is a cultural geographer who researches how events of violence and tragedy are marked (or not marked) in landscape.  Debate over memory, its definition and ownership can expose deep divides within society over how to interpret and represent the past.  This interest entails an examination of the development of national commemorative traditions in the U.S. and Europe. Simultaneously anthropological, theological, philosophical, and historical, his award-winning book Shadowed Ground: America's Landscape of Tragedy and Violence (1997 and 2003) explores sites of assassination, terrorism and massacre.

You may search the Todd Wehr Library catalog for a selection of books available by Kenneth Foote. Books are also available to purchase after the lecture and at the St. Norbert College bookstore.