Confederate Exceptionalism: Civil War Myth & Memory in the 21st Century

On September 10,2020, Nicole Maurantonio delivered the banner lecture, “Confederate Exceptionalism: Civil War Myth and Memory in the Twenty-First Century” How do so-called neo-Confederates distance themselves from the actions and beliefs of white supremacists while clinging to the very symbols and narratives that tether the Confederacy to the history of racism and oppression in America? In this Banner Lecture on September 10, 2020, Nicole Maurantonio explores how the answer is bound up in the myth of Confederate exceptionalism—a myth whose components, proponents, and meaning she explores in her lecture. Nicole Maurantonio is associate professor of rhetoric and communication studies and American studies at the University of Richmond. She is the author of Confederate Exceptionalism: Civil War Myth and Memory in the Twenty-First Century and coeditor (with David W. Park) of Communicating Memory & History. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.