Join us for "The Carolina Parakeet and the Politics of Disappearance: Uncharismatic Extinction in North America from the College of Charleston’s Campus."

Barry Stiefel, professor in the College's Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program, examines the extinct Carolina parakeet – the only parrot species native to the eastern United States – as a case study for theorizing uncharismatic species, extinction and environmental memory.

Unlike the passenger pigeon or the American bison, the Carolina parakeet has not become a canonical symbol of loss, restraint or ecological catastrophe. Instead, it occupies a marginal position in both scholarly and popular narratives – a species that disappeared without securing lasting moral or historiographic attention.

Stiefel will explore with attendees how the Carolina parakeet’s exclusion from dominant extinction narratives reflects not obscurity, but conflict with prevailing regimes of value.

This event is part of the Faculty Lecture Series cosponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Honors College. Attendance is free, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided.