The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation at Brandeis sponsored a panel discussion titled "People in Revolution" on Thursday, which offered a multidisciplinary approach to revolutions.

The event was a part of the John E. Sawyer Seminars on the Comparative Study of Culture series "Rethinking the Age of Revolution,"

History professor Kathleen DuVal of the University of North Carolina, art history professor Amy Freund of Texas Christian University and history professor Emma Rothschild of Harvard University and the University of Cambridge spoke about the people affected by the French and American Revolutions. The panel was the second event of a five-part series.

Professor Julia Gaffield of Georgia State University, who moderated the panel, said a discussion about individual people in revolution "helps us understand the big picture and the broad currents that swept through."

According to DuVal, human history appeals to people because "we imagine ourselves in these roles and see how history relates to us," and "we're interested in how people are similar and different to us."

DuVal spoke about the "slightly important people" during revolutions, people who helped shape revolutions but are not as well known. She said most people focus on a handful of founders and characters when studying history, speaking of the American Revolution. "They were important. They had to do with the American Revolution, and they justified revolution through writing," she said. "But there are important people beyond those few people."

According to DuVal, the "slightly important people" had their own roles in revolution. "They tell us different stories that help us tell larger stories and help tell us about the human condition," she said.

DuVal went on to discuss the story of Bernardo de G??lvez, a Spanish military leader during the American Revolution, who she described to be one of those "slightly important people." He helped the 13 colonies by leading Spanish forces against Great Britain.

Freund spoke about painted portraits of people involved in the French Revolution. In particular, she spoke about portraits of ordinary and middle-class individuals. "Social class matters in context of revolution," she said.

Freund said that the French Revolution was a time when military leadership was passed into the hands of members of the third estate and that portraits show this as a visual narrative. "I was surprised about how many portraits [created during the revolution] there were out there," she said. "The portraits show how ordinary men shape the course of history," she said.

Then, Rothschild spoke about how she has been trying to track down the records of 83 people who signed a prenuptial agreement during the French Revolution. Because the signatures portrayed friends of the bride and groom, she was able to see what people the couple knew. She used many documents, including marriage certificates, to learn about these people's lives.

"It is important to see revolution in terms for people who were shaped by revolution, but didn't shape it," she said.

Prof. Susan Lanser (ENG), who directs the "Rethinking the Age of Revolution" seminar with Prof. Jane Kamensky (HIST), said in an interview with the Justice that the seminar looks to study revolution across disciplines. "Much of what we have today, we owe to the period of revolution," Lanser said. "It changed a great deal of the world. Much of what we take for granted was not inevitable."

According to Lanser, studying revolution "helps us see how the world was shaped and gives us a richer sense of the past."