Each year, the center hosts a speaker series designed to answer fundamental questions about the human experience, exploring the latest research and scholarship across the humanities by inviting renowned scholars to present their work. The most recent series, “Scales of Belonging,” was no exception, engaging scholars and the community alike to address the question: How and where do we belong?
To help answer this question, the center invited three leading scholars in the humanities to delve into diverse topics such as migration, identity, community, and the impact of social and political forces on our lives. The result was a series of talks and events attended by more than 400 students, faculty, staff and community members, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue about the complexities of belonging and connection in today’s world.
The series launched in September 2023 with a compelling lecture by Dipesh Chakrabarty, Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. In his talk, “Why A New Philosophical Anthropology?”, Chakrabarty drew from his recent works to propose a rethinking of humanist categories, distinguishing between the globe and the planet. His insights underscored the relevance of philosophical reflections in our current age of environmental and societal challenges.
The series’ second speaker, Leonard N. Moore, George Littlefield Professor of American History at the University of Texas at Austin, offered a deep dive into the racial dynamics of college football with his lecture titled “Name, Image, and Blackness: Race and College Football.” Moore discussed critical issues including the transfer portal, NIL (name, image, and likeness) opportunities, and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action. This topic resonated deeply with university attendees and community members, given the university’s strong athletic traditions shaping its public identity.
The series concluded in March with a visit from Stanford University Professor Emma Shaw Crane. Her workshop on “Research Justice” and lecture on “Race, Detention, and Indigeneity in South Florida” shed light on the conditions faced by migrant children at the Homestead Temporary Shelter. Crane’s ethnographic approach revealed the interconnectedness of detention camps and suburban landscapes, challenging conventional notions and advocating for justice and collaboration.
“Scales of Belonging” was the latest installment in the center’s ongoing commitment to both academic and local communities through shared human experience. The series exemplified the humanities’ pivotal role in addressing contemporary challenges and fostering a deeper understanding of belonging in our globalized world.
This annual speaker series was co-sponsored by the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (Rothman Endowment); College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Bob Graham Center for Public Service; Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship; the Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities, Jack Davis; the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning; the African American Studies Program; Departments of Anthropology, History, Political Science, and Geography; Smathers Libraries; UF Research; and the A. Quinn Jones Museum and Cultural Center.