Gillian Weiss, associate professor in the Department of History, will present a lecture considering the real case of two Muslim girls converted to Catholicism on direct order from Louis XIV. Christened Marie-Magdeleine and Ursule Marseille, the daughters of an Algerian galley slave named Ibrahim and his wife Fatima, became municipal trophies, conduits for social distinction, subjects of diplomatic dispute and emblems of royal orthodoxy.
The Faculty Work-In-Progress lecture will take place Tuesday, Feb. 4, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Clark Hall, Room 206, with a pre-lecture reception at 4:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.