ALTOONA, Pa. — John Eicher, associate professor of history at Penn State Altoona, is the 2023-24 Bechtel Lecturer at the University of Waterloo's Conrad Grebel University College.
As such, on March 22 he delivered the lecture "A Plot-Driven People: Mennonite Narratives in the Age of Nationalism (1870-1945)," based on his prizewinning book “Exiled Among Nations: German and Mennonite Mythologies in a Transnational Age.” He also delivered lectures on his current research project, the 1918 "Spanish" flu, and his new YouTube lecture series, "Modern Western Civilization (1500-Present): From Dawn, to Decadence, to Disillusionment."
The Bechtel Lectures in Anabaptist-Mennonite Studies were established in 2000 and provide the opportunity for representatives of a variety of disciplines and professions to explore topics that reflect the breadth and depth of Mennonite history, identity, faith and culture.
Conrad Grebel University College hosts this lecture event annually and awards lecturers with an honorarium and numerous opportunities to share their work on campus and online.