This homecoming weekend, Greg Dodds gave a lecture previewing his new book “Vox Populi: The Idea and Meaning of The People in Restoration England” to be published this year in October. The talk, which took place in the Peterson Memorial Library’s (PML) reference room, was packed with alumni and students alike.
This lecture explored the political climate of England in the 1600s, a time when the modern ideas of democracy and political parties were first developing. During this time, the values of freedom and security were in constant tension and people felt that they needed to choose sides. Dodds highlighted how these foundational practices are seen today, touching on how those same tensions affect modern political discourse.
Dodds covered these and other key topics from his book and underscored the role that Walla Walla University’s library played in his research. The talk ended with a Q&A session where audience members had a chance to probe further.
Dodds said the key takeaway from his research was that “political parties will always let you down. God won’t.”
This lecture is one installment of WWU’s annual Landeen Lecture series. The purpose of a Landeen Lecture is to highlight excellent scholarship conducted with the resources of the WWU library. A significant number of sources in Dodd’s book came from databases accessed through PML.
To learn more about the WWU library’s resources visit wallawalla.edu/library. To learn more about the work of Greg Dodds and others in the Department of History and Philosophy visit wallawalla.edu/history.
Posted May 18, 2026
