Enzo Traverso, a scholar of 20th-century totalitarianism and author of groundbreaking works on the Holocaust, will challenge the commonly accepted dichotomy between history and memory and expose the role of memory in modern politics in "Historical Time and the Politics of Memory," a talk slated for Nov. 8, 4:30 p.m., in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall.

Traverso, a professor of political science at the University of Picardie Jules Verne in Paris, is this year's Luigi Einaudi chair of European studies at Cornell. His works include "The Marxists and the Jewish Question: The History of a Debate 1843-1943," "Understanding the Nazi Genocide: Marxism after Auschwitz" and "The Origins of Nazi Violence."

"His studies of Nazism and Italian fascism are already considered seminal works," said Timothy Campbell, chair of Cornell's Department of Romance Studies.

Traverso received his Ph.D. from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in 1989. He has been a visiting professor across the world, including at universities in Mexico, Italy, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Argentina.

The talk is part of the College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Lecture Series. A reception in Goldwin Smith Hall's Ruth Woolsey Findley Gallery of Art will follow the lecture. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Arts and Sciences Humanities Lectures are presented with support from the Office of the President and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Linda B. Glaser is staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.