On Friday, Oct. 19 and Saturday, Oct. 20, the Thomas Paine National Historic Association (TPNHA) will be hosting the International Conference of Thomas Paine Studies at Iona, honoring and rediscovering the longtime neglected founding father Thomas Paine, showcasing the Paine archives in Iona’s possession.

Thomas Paine was an English-American political activist, political theorist and author, most famous for his pro-revolutionary rhetoric. Paine’s heavy influence in the American Revolution comes from his work “Common Sense” and his pamphlet series “The American Crisis.” He also favored the French Revolution, and to express his support wrote “Rights of Man.”

Although most renowned for these pro-revolution works, there is much more to be understood about Thomas Paine and his life’s work.

Interestingly, Democrats and Republicans alike proudly claim Thomas Paine to their party, yet he belongs to neither. Professor Scott Cleary of the English Department points out that Paine’s political views are so unique that he cannot be associated with a specific political party.

According to Cleary, the most captivating and eye-opening aspect of this conference will be trying to grasp all of Paine’s prominence in political, cultural and literary realms without the use of overbearing generalities we have all become so used to.

Between new artifacts acquired by Iona and international scholars, there exists an opportunity for insight into Paine’s life and influence that we have never had before.

Even with what we already know about Paine, he still remains “a great unknown” according to Cleary, and he looks forward to seeing what new insights can be gained here at Iona.

Analyzing these artifacts will be a collective effort by many international scholars, including some from Canada and France, which will help us to frame our understanding of Paine as an American and global citizen.

“Back then Paine was wonderfully contentious in a productively volatile way,” said Cleary, discussing the importance of Paine the 18th century. “Now his ideas are visionary, especially when it comes to Paine’s beliefs about women, welfare, land use and social security.”

Throughout the weekend there will be 12 scholarly presentations held in Romita Auditorium, Ryan Library and Driscoll Hall on Friday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. In addition, there will also be a keynote speech by the former editor of Harper’s Magazine and founder of Lapham’s Quarterly (a quarterly publication about history and literature) Lewis Lapham, a presentation of the play Citizen Paine, a reception at the Thomas Paine Cottage on Saturday and a viewing of the Paine artifacts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Cleary hopes that this conference will be held biannually in the future, but for this upcoming weekend he encourages students, alumni and the general public to attend for free in order to broaden their knowledge of Thomas Paine’s significance.