Iona College Faculty Members Attend International Thomas Paine Conference

The following press release is from Iona College:

The Iona College Institute for Thomas Paine Studies (ITPS), sponsored the Second International Conference on Thomas Paine Studies at the Université de Paris X (Nanterre Ouest) in late September. The Institute’s mission is to promote Paine scholarship across the globe.

Representing the Institute were Gary Berton, coordinator, who gave the conference’s opening remarks, and Scott Cleary, Ph.D., faculty director, who gave the conference’s closing remarks.

“The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies has positioned itself as the North American center for scholarly activity on our neglected founding father,” said Dr. Cleary.

Focusing on Paine’s role in the French Revolution, the conference featured presentations on Paine’s economic theories, his views on military interventionism, and his role in the era of trans-Atlantic revolutions in the early nineteenth century.

“To truly internationalize the event, the Institute sponsored four North American scholars (three American, one Canadian),” said Berton. “Through their research they have brought Paine to the forefront of debates on the nature of democracy, the definition of “freedom” in late eighteenth-century political thought, and enlightenment epistolary self-fashioning.”

The Third International Conference on Thomas Paine Studies expected to take place in London in 2016. “Research for the Collected Works of Thomas Paine is underway due in large part to the work of this Conference,” said Dr. Cleary.

About Iona College:
Founded in 1940, Iona College is a four-year private coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. It is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona College is the second largest private sector employer in New Rochelle, NY.