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Center for History and Culture

College of Arts and Sciences

Events

Spring 2026

 

Wrangling Pelicans  

 

February 12, 2026

Wrangling Pelicans with Tim Seiter.

4:30 to 6:30 pm, Tyrrell Historical Library (695 Pearl St, Beaumont, TX 77701).

Dr. Tim Seiter will talk about his new book Wrangling Pelicans that explores the everyday experiences of Presidio La Bahía’s Hispano soldiers and their families at the edge of the Spanish empire in Texas. From the publisher: "Although they were agents of the Spanish crown, soldiers at times defied their king and even their captain as they found ways to assert their autonomy. Offering a fresh perspective on colonial Texas, Wrangling Pelicans recreates the complexities of life at the empire’s edge, where survival mattered more than royal decrees." Dr. Seiter is an assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at Tyler and a 2022-2023 Fellow with the Center for History and Culture. Books available for purchase and signing. Refreshments provide. Free and open to all.

 

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March 5, 2026

For a “Free World”: Mexican Americans in Texas State Prisons during WWII with George Díaz

Thursday, 4:30-6:30 pm. Reaud Event Space (101). 

Dr. George Díaz will talk about his research on the Mexican experience in Texas state prisons. In previewing his talk, Díaz explains that his research "examines the incarceration of segregated Mexican inmates in the Texas Prison System during World War II. Throughout the early 20th century, Texas segregated prisoners by Color and forced unfree men to labor on cotton plantations for the state.  Already stigmatized due to their conviction for state crimes, ethnic Mexican prisoners faced additional prejudice while incarcerated.  Rather than accept attacks or be likened to Axis forces, Mexican American prisoners asserted their American identity and commitment to the war effort in order to overcome the double stigma they faced as prisoners and segregated others.  Through singing patriotic songs on prison radio programs, competing in “Victory” prison rodeo events, and buying war bonds, Mexican American inmates fought for inclusion against a common enemy.  Although Mexican American prisoners’ struggles for acceptance did not free them from incarceration, their labors altered the way the state viewed them as well as the way they viewed themselves." Díaz received a 2024-2025 research fellowship from the Center for History and Culture to support his project. He is an associate professor of history at the University of Texas-Rio Grand Valley and the author of Border Contraband: A History of Smuggling across the Rio Grande (2015). Refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.

 

2026 Greater Gulf Symposium

March 31, 2026

Storytelling in the Greater Gulf with Keagan Lejeune

Tuesday, 4:30-6:30 pm. Reaud Event Space (101). 

Dr. Keagan Lejeune will give the keynote talk for the Fifth Annual Greater Gulf Symposium. From the Yucatán Peninsula to the Florida Keys, from the oral traditions of many Indigenous cultures to modern-day digital content creators, Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf regions have enjoyed rich histories of storytellers and storytelling. Narratives and all their varied forms energize human societies with meanings that help them make sense of each other and their physical and emotional environments. Dr. Lejeune is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at McNeese State University and author of Finding Myself Lost in Louisiana, winner of the 2024 Summerlee Book Prize (Nonfiction) bestowed by the Center for History and Culture. He was also 2022-2023 Research Fellow with the Center. A reception will precede with posters provided by each Symposium participant that detail their individual projects. Refreshments provided. Free and open to all.