Historian Laura Auricchio to discuss her biography of Marquis de Lafayette at the University of Richmond Jan. 29

Laura Auricchio, a specialist in 18th century French history and art, will speak about her biography, “The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered,” at the University of Richmond in the International Center Commons, Jan. 29, 3-4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Aurricchio’s lecture will focus on the French hero of the American Revolution, who, at age 19, volunteered to fight under George Washington and who later served as the unpopular commander of the French National Guard after the French revolution.

Her biography questions why Americans herald Lafayette as a hero, being only the seventh person to be named an honorary U.S. citizen, while his memory remains murky in his home country of France. 

Auricchio received her undergraduate degree from Harvard and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She has been a recipient of major fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the Whiting Foundation and Columbia University. She is currently the Dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies at The New School for Public Engagement.

This event is cosponsored by the Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures and the Department of History.  

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