Election results underscore importance of understanding Midwest culture, history

When President Donald Trump won the election, many experts were shocked by the outcome. States including Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin turned the tide of what had been predicted to be a near-certain victory for Hillary Clinton into an electoral victory for Trump.

The unexpected victory for Trump underscores the importance of understanding the Midwest, a massive segment of the country that's often dismissed by east- and west-coast political thinkers as "flyover country" and better known for agriculture and manufacturing than as a region that can drastically change American politics.

Learning about and understanding the politics, culture, conflicts and people of the Midwest is the central goal of "Finding the Lost Region," the third annual Midwestern History Conference hosted by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University.

Finding the Lost Region: Third Annual Midwestern History Conference

Wednesday, June 7

Conference begins at 9 a.m.

Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium, Grand Valley State University's Pew Grand Rapids Campus 

401 Fulton Street West, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

The event is free and open to the public.

Presented in partnership with the Midwestern History Association, "Finding the Lost Region" will focus on rebuilding the study of the history of the Midwest.

The conference will also feature insight from more than 100 panelists and speakers on a wide variety of topics including Midwestern religious history, the history of African Americans and Latinos in the Midwest, the Midwest punk-rock scene and a history of Midwestern beer and brewing, and much more.

Four keynote speakers will be featured throughout the day:

     • 9 a.m.: Michael Barone, "The Surprising New Political Battleground"

     • 12:45 p.m.: Erik S. McDuffie, "From Fort Detroit to Ferguson: Why Studying Black Midwestern History Matters”

     • 7 p.m.: Jason A. Heppler, "Approaching a New Historical Atlas of Midwestern History" and D. Bradford Hunt, "What is the Midwest? A Question for the Newberry Library"