An Evening with Christopher Dawson: Introducing a Historian of Culture

Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET
Date: September 2, 2025
Faculty: Dr. Joseph Stuart

Description:

Please join us at 7:00 p.m. on September 2, 2025, for a live virtual lecture, “An Evening with Christopher Dawson: Introducing a Historian of Culture.” Joseph T. Stuart will introduce us to the great British historian of ideas, Christopher Dawson, in an engaging presentation, followed by a Q&A discussion moderated by Darrell Falconburg. This event is free and open to the public upon registration.

Register for this free lecture here.

Christopher Dawson (1889–1970) was a British historian whose work profoundly shaped our understanding of the role of religion in the development of culture. In books such as The Crisis of Western Education, The Making of Europe, and Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, Dawson argued that religion has always been the animating force behind human civilization. In 1958, Dawson became the first professor to hold the Chair of Roman Catholic Studies at Harvard University, extending his influence in both academic and public life.

Dawson maintained that religion has always shaped human culture—including politics—throughout world history. He emphasized that when moderns ignore or deny this reality, they end up turning politics itself into a kind of religion. In response, Dawson proposed a Christian political vision grounded in human freedom, national unity, and international solidarity as corrective measures to the ideological distortions of his day, which were contributing to totalitarianism, violence, and social conformity. Although decades have passed since his death, Dawson’s vision remains a steady guide amid today’s cultural and political dilemmas.

Dr. Joseph Stuart, a former Wilbur Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center, earned his doctorate in Modern Intellectual History from the University of Edinburgh and now serves as Professor of History at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. His most recent book, Christopher Dawson: A Cultural Mind in the Age of the Great War (Catholic University of America Press, 2022), has been widely praised.