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Coming this March, Conrad Grebel University College is hosting two distinct winter lectures, offered by Professors and . The presentations are focused on addressing global social concerns and raising awareness about oppression. 

“We are eagerly anticipating the 2022 Bechtel and Sawatsky lectures,” said Grebel’s Dean, Troy Osborne. “They will be excellent opportunities to learn from two remarkable scholars. Dr. Samatar’s and Dr. Shands Stoltzfus’s talks address the topical subjects of shelter, justice, and anti-oppression, and we look forward to learning more from them.”  

Sofia Samatar, associate professor at James Madison University and an award-winning fantasy author, will deliver the Bechtel Lecture in Anabaptist-Mennonite Studies at Grebel. Samatar's forthcoming memoir, The White Mosque, shares what she learned about identity and border-crossing from the history of a Mennonite village in Central Asia. Samatar’s upcoming lecture, “On Dwelling: Shelters in Place and Time” explores the idea of what it means to shelter in place from an ethical point of view. She considers the questions, “What does shelter look like for those who are forced to leave their homes?” and “when prevented from staying in place, how can a person dwell?”  

Professor Regina Shands Stoltzfus is this year's Rodney and Lorna Sawatsky Visiting Scholar. She is a published author and the director of Goshen College's Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies program. Her lecture, “Resistance Strategies: Equipping Ourselves and Our Communities for Long Term Justice Work,” addresses the topic of maintaining a just world.  

"The work of building a more just world includes acknowledging the world that is, and that was,” explained Shands Stoltzfus. “This knowledge can be overwhelming, especially for people with marginalized identities. This talk will reflect on strategies from past and current movements, as well as how my own teaching has changed."  

Join the Grebel community in March to learn more about these thought-provoking lectures. Samatar’s public lecture “On Dwelling: Shelters in Place and Time,” will be hosted virtually on March 10 at 7:00 pm. Shands Stoltzfus’s public lecture “Resistance Strategies: Equipping Ourselves and Our Communities for Long Term Justice Work,” will be hosted virtually on March 24 at 7:30 pm. Both lectures are free to attend, but advance registration is required.  

By Ashitha Mantrawadi 

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March 10, 2022, 7:00 pm 
On Dwelling: Shelters in Place and Time 
Professor Sofia Samatar 

March 24, 2022, 7:30 pm 
Resistance Strategies: Equipping Ourselves and Our Communities for Long Term Justice Work 
Professor Regina Shands Stoltzfus