News
- The Center proudly introduces our very first cohort for the Alexander Grass Scholars Research Program! This summer, students will delve into humanities research methods and collaborate closely with local community partners. We eagerly anticipate their continued progress into the fall as they develop and present their own projects. Explore the program and meet our students here.
- On March 28th the Center welcomed Dr. Emma Shaw Crane (Fellow, Society of Fellows, Columbia University) who gave a lecture on “Race, Detention, and Indigeneity in South Florida.” In her talk, Dr. Emma Shaw Crane gave a timely lecture on how migrant children detained at Homestead Temporary Shelter, South Miami-Dade, faced harmful conditions due to an adjacent military base. By thinking across space and scale, her ethnographic approach challenged ideas of detention camps as spaces of exception and instead understood them as porous, permeable, and embedded within suburban landscape.
- On February 15th the Center hosted Dr. Leonard N. Moore (George Littlefield Professor of American History, Department of History, University of Texas – Austin) who gave a lecture on “Name, Image, and Blackness: Race and College Football.” In a riveting presentation, Dr. Moore explored intricate racial dynamics in Southern college football, delving into topics like the transfer portal, NIL opportunities, and the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action. There were over 200 people in attendance, both in-person and via Zoom. Watch the lecture here. We look forward to our next speaker, Dr. Emma Shaw Crane (Fellow, Society of Fellows in the Humanities, Columbia University) on March 28, who will deliver a public lecture entitled “Race, Detention, and Indigeneity in South Florida.” The event will be held in-person and online.
- CHPS is excited to develop an interactive lab space, foster multidisciplinary collaborations, and offer trainings, courses, and consultations. We will be producing virtual exhibitions, StoryMaps, data visualization, metadata transformation, and more. The technologies will be supported by a lab that can enrich humanities research, amplify its impact, and raise awareness of the critical value of humanistic inquiry. Learn more about the funding initiative here.
- The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (CHPS) is thrilled to announce the appointment of its new director, Jaime Ahlberg, who has taken the helm following the departure of outgoing director Barbara Mennel. During Mennel’s six-year term, CHPS saw significant growth. Under her leadership, the Center expanded opportunities for students through programs like the Humanities Engagement Scholars program and the Humanities Graduate Summer Institute, supported faculty with a successful annual Writing Retreat, and increased CHPS’s profile by deepening relationships with other humanities organizations across the country.
Now, Ahlberg is eager to hit the ground running. Her ultimate goal is to open conversations that amplify awareness of the overlapping ways in which humanistic questions and methods are valuable to the work of the different groups served by CHPS, including students, faculty, and the wider community. Ahlberg is particularly excited to support undergraduate humanities research, post-graduation preparation for humanities PhDs, and opportunities for sharing work among faculty. She is passionate about building relationships between UF and the broader community that will enhance shared goals and projects. Read more about our new director here! - On September 21st the Center inaugurated this year’s 2023-2024 Speaker Series: Scales of Belonging with Dr. Dipesh Chakrabarty’s (Professor of History, The University of Chicago) lecture, “Why A New Philosophical Anthropology?”In his talk, Dr. Chakrabarty explored why making a distinction between the globe and the planet as humanist categories calls for a new philosophical anthropology. The audience included a wide range of students and community members, and we are proud to announce that over 100 people were in attendance! We look forward to our next speaker, Dr. Leonard N. Moore (Professor of History, UT Austin) on February 15, who will deliver a public lecture entitled “Name, Image, and Blackness: Race and College Football.” Listen to the lecture here