What is the difference between “new” Quaker history and “old” Quaker history?  How does objective scholarship change historical perspectives? These are questions that Ben Pink Dandelion and Robynne Rogers Healey address in their talk on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024.  

Ben Pink Dandelion is a Professor of Theology and Religion, an honorary Professor of Quaker Studies, and the Director for postgraduate Quaker Studies at the University of Birmingham.  His publications include The Creation of Modern Quaker Diversity 1830 to 1937, and The Oxford Handbook of Quaker Studies. Robynne Rogers Healey is a Professor of History, the Chair of the Department of History, and Director of Gender Studies at Trinity Western University.  Her publications include Quaker Women 1800 to 1920, and Quakerism in the Atlantic World 1690 to 1830.

In their presentations, Dandelion and Healey discuss why it is important to acknowledge the differences between “old” Quaker history and “new” Quaker history. They bring attention to the pitfalls of historians publishing to affirm their own identities or to push their personal agendas, and discuss blindspots that exist in classic Quaker Studies publications. Outlining areas of change in traditionally held beliefs about Quakers, they present the ways that diversity and scholarship have resulted in a more complete understanding of Quaker history. 

Interested in viewing the recording of this event? Please contact Rachel Hochberg (rahochberg [at] haverford.edu) to request access.