Butler discusses research, meaning of his new book

Neela Cole photo

Students listen intently as Dr. Butler speaks.

The author of "A Strange Land of Shadows: Dissent, Violence, and the Civil War Era on

the Southern Frontier” paid a visit to Troy University library's media area to share the findings of his recent dissertation.

Dr. Joshua Butler, a history professor for Albany State University, discussed the research

and content of his newest book. The book focuses on southwest Georgia during the final years of enslavement, the civil war and reconstruction.

“What I wanted to do was to really show that what happens before this defines what

happens, but it is always a continuation,” Butler said. “When you are competing against these things, both sides are going to think that they are right.

“So, it’s really hard to say that there is a right versus a wrong. However, if we look at the

implications, the people involved and what they do, we can understand their motives and try to put our definitions on society.”

Throughout his lecture, Butler examined the changing power dynamics during these

turning points in southern history. Students were then given the chance to ask questions and share pivotal perspectives on the topics.

“I was not expecting the answers I got to some of my questions that I asked during the

lecture,” said Camden Tullis, a sophomore cybersecurity major from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“However, I mostly was just interested in seeing the author’s perspectives on a lot of things and what he was really aiming to do with this book.”

Others enjoyed learning about that specific time in history.

“I just appreciated learning about this point of history,” said Troy University’s Social

Sciences Librarian Stephanie White. “I did not take a lot of history classes, so I kind of felt like maybe I am someone who needs to deep dive more about this subject than I do know.

“I know a little bit, but I've never taken the time to really dig deeper into the history

beyond just some casual reading.” Butler ended the lecture by expressing the importance of sharing the truth about history regardless of when there is someone who is going to disagree.

“What we need to know in order to move beyond is, again, where people learn, how they

learn and how they harness their belief system,” Butler said. “The hope is that we do that in a classroom setting with guidance from people who have more knowledge than us, but we have to take part of the responsibility that lifelong learning means learning outside of the classrooms.”

Butler also used pictures to demonstrate his references throughout his lecture, giving

students a visual aid when putting history together.

“From a librarian's perspective, this is important since there's just so much information

out there,” White said. “That's why it's so important that people learn how to find trustworthy information and really discern what's trustworthy and what's not.”

• By the end of March, if not sooner, Butler intends to move into the second part of this dissertation, focusing mostly on the Albany movement, as well as the civil rights

movement.