The Dirty History of Soap
Soap is ubiquitous in our daily lives. We bathe with it; clean with it; and wash our clothes with it. During the pandemic it became a first-line defense against disease. Yet most of us rarely think about it. But soap has a history, and it's a messy one. Join Dr. Judith Ridner, professor of history at Mississippi State University and co-editor of "Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal," as she explores the long history of soap from the Ancient World to the present day, addressing how its ingredients, forms, and uses changed over time and what those shifts tell us about the role soap plays in our lives today.
*The event is free, thanks to the Doris Becker Lecture Series in conjunction with the Hagen History Center.
*This event is part of the JES's USA 250 Event Series.
Location: Jefferson Educational Society - 3207 State St. Erie, PA 16508
Date/Time: Thursday, Aug. 27, 7-8:30PM
Admission: FREE
Dr. Judith Ridner is a historian of early America whose research focuses on the American frontier, ethnicity and immigration, as well as oral and public history. She earned her Ph.D. in History from The College of William & Mary. While much of her work has centered on eighteenth-century Pennsylvania and the Scots-Irish, her scholarship has expanded to include oral history, public and digital history, and especially material culture. She is currently working on two book projects. Clothing the Babel: The Material Culture of Ethnic Identity in Early America explores how clothing and personal adornment worn by European immigrants shaped how eighteenth-century Americans perceived and responded to them. Her second project, The Dirty History of Soap, traces the material history of this everyday substance from the ancient world to the present. Dr. Ridner also serves as co-editor of the academic journal Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
