Ideas and Their Peoples: A Conversation on Transcendentalism and Contemporary Life

Wednesday, December 9, 2026 6:00—7:30 PM Goodwin Forum Main Library 129 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742 Throughout the 2026–27 academic year, the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) at Harvard Divinity School is exploring the history, legacy, and contemporary relevance of Transcendentalism with special programming, including scholarly talks open to the public.  This fall, the Center for the Study of World Religions, the Concord Free Public Library, and the Thoreau Alliance are launching a new collaborative series of public conversations in Concord.  This series brings CSWR Transcendentalism scholars into conversation with writers, scholars, artists, and broader audiences, exploring questions that connect Transcendentalist thought and practice with contemporary intellectual, cultural, and public life.  This conversation, "Ideas and Their Peoples: Intellectual Cultures of the Native Northeast," features Ryan Carr, Linda Coombs, Scott Pratt, and Kiara Vigil. Moderated by John Kucich. God Almighty hath made us rational creatures capable of considering, reflecting, and reasoning on many things,” declared the Mohegan-Brothertown minister Samson Occom in 1764. Yet Indigenous participation in the intellectual cultures of New England remains relatively unexplored by scholars, notwithstanding Ralph Waldo Emerson’s universalistic acknowledgment of “the service rendered by those who introduce moral truths into the general mind.” This roundtable seeks to broaden the history of ideas in New England by highlighting philosophical interventions made by colonized intellectuals and asking how those interventions took shape within a transnational history of Euro-American imperialism and anti-imperial resistance. Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School and The Thoreau Alliance. Accessibility The Concord Free Public Library is committed to providing everyone with unimpeded access to our resources, programs, and services. Learn more about accessibility at our libraries. You can also email our administration team or give us a call at either of our libraries to request additional accommodations. Our Sponsors The Concord Free Public Library's programs are free to the public thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Concord Free Public Library Corporation. Register online between 10/29/2026 9:00 AM and 12/9/2026 8:00 PM.