MSU Institute for the Humanities fall events continue this month with history, stories shaping the South
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Institute for the Humanities continues its fall lecture series Oct. 29 with MSU Department of History Associate Professor Jim Giesen and University of Mississippi Faculty Fellow and Writer-in-Residence Ralph Eubanks in Mitchell Memorial Library’s John Grisham Room at 6 p.m.
Giesen and Eubanks will provide insight from their recent books which offer a deeper look at the South through its landscapes, history and stories, examining how place has shaped the region’s identity and how its past continues to influence its present.
Giesen’s new University of Georgia Press book, “The Land of Cotton: Culture, Landscape, and the Fabric of Southern History,” examines approximately 150 years of cotton history and its cultural, environmental and economic influence on the American South.
Eubanks’ “When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land” is a 2026 Beacon Press book that discusses impacts including racism, economic instability and politics, as well as regional resilience and grass-roots movements toward meaningful change.
“Ralph and Jim are two of the nation’s leading experts on the history of the Mississippi Delta. They’ve both recently published books covering that history, and we’re excited to hear them discuss their work,” said Joseph M. Thompson, Institute for the Humanities director and associate professor of history. “This discussion reflects the institute’s commitment to connecting our campus and the general public with the stories, history and art that make up the humanities.”
Later this fall, the institute will co-sponsor a screening of the documentary “Natchez” on Nov. 18, followed by a conversation with the film’s director the next day.
Part of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for the Humanities promotes research, scholarship and creative performances in the humanistic disciplines while raising their visibility within Mississippi State University and the wider community.
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