“Shameless Eclecticism”: Boston, Regional Studies, and the Genesis of the Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife

ON June 19, 1976, Peter Benes, a history instructor at New Hampshire's Dublin School, and David D. Hall, a history professor at Boston University and Director of that school's doctoral program in American and New England Studies, welcomed a diverse group of participants to a two-day conference focused on the art of Puritan gravestones.1 This initial interdisciplinary gathering, held on the campus of a residential preparatory school in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, drew academics, employees of cultural organizations, and accomplished, enthusiastic amateurs. Taking place during the nation's bicentennial year, this meeting set a precedent which, half a century later, still informs and shapes the annual Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife.