One of the things I discovered was the presence of a vibrant, densely populated commercial hub at the confluence of the Heart and Missouri Rivers-the homeland the Mandans called the heart of the world. Pox took me on a whirlwind tour of the North American continent in the late eighteenth century. Did this project grow out of your research for Pox?Įlizabeth Fenn: Pox Americana was indeed what piqued my interest in the Mandans. Erstwhile’s Alessandra Link spoke with Fenn about a variety of topics, including her history of the Mandan, pre-contact American history, writing, and the unique challenges/opportunities associated with a scholar’s second book.Įrstwhile Blog: What drew you to write a Mandan history? Smallpox is central character in this historical work as it was in your first book, Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82 (Hill and Wang, 2002). Her latest book, Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People, was published with Hill and Wang. Congratulations, Lil!Įlizabeth Fenn (Ph.D., Yale University) is an associate professor of history and department chair at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Fenn on her book Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People. We are republishing the interview today in honor of her well-deserved news yesterday. In August, Erstwhile conducted an interview with 2015 History Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth A.
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