WELCOME!
Welcome to the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere! I am privileged and delighted to step into the role of Rothman Chair and Director of CHPS and continue programming for scholars, students, and the community members of North Central Florida.
I know I am not alone in appreciating the period of growth that Professor Barbara Mennel oversaw during her six-year term as Director, both in terms of the number and diversity of programs offered, constituents reached, and relationships built with organizations across the nation. Professor Mennel successfully shepherded the Center through the difficult days of the pandemic, enabling virtual and hybrid spaces for community at a time when we all yearned for connection. I thank her for her unfailingly positive spirit and tireless service to the Center’s mission, programs, and constituents. Best wishes for your future endeavors, Barbara!
Before I report on the achievements of Center during 2022-23, I want to acknowledge the Center’s staff that worked in collaboration with Professor Mennel to bring about this programming and outreach: Associate Director Dr. Anirban Gupta-Nigam (PhD, Visual Studies), Assistant Director for Graduate Engagement Dr. Sara Agnelli (PhD, Classics), 2023-24 Program Coordinator Noah Mullins (MA, English), and Administrative Assistant Rhonda Black (MS, Entrepreneurship). What I report below is largely the fruit of their labor.
In 2022-23, the Humanities Center organized events and programming that attracted about 900 audience members locally and globally and provided funding for faculty, staff, students, and community members to organize programming for a total of about 2,200 audience members. Below, I highlight some of our past events and share our plans for this upcoming year.
2022-23 SPEAKER SERIES: Rethinking the Public Sphere Part IV: Public Humanities
Last year’s Speaker Series focused on the contributions of the humanities to public discourse. From diverse interdisciplinary perspectives, speakers opened conversations about how humanists can engage and be a part of their communities. Nicholas Allen (University of Georgia, Department of English and Willson Center for Humanities and Art) spoke about “Public Humanities as Environmental Humanities.” Brent Leggs (Executive Director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and University of Pennsylvania) gave a lecture entitled “Preserving Galaxy of Black Landmarks is an Act of Racial Justice” and participated in a community conversation entitled “Preserving African American Communities and Landmarks: A Conversation with Brent Leggs and Community Leaders of African American Neighborhoods and Sites.” Barry Lam (University of California, Riverside, Department of Philosophy) gave a talk on “Discretion and the Law: Rules and Those Who Ignore Them.”
SUMMER 2023 LECTURE SERIES: The Institute for Learning in Retirement at Oak Hammock – War and the Humanities
CHPS continued its lecture series at the ILR at Oak Hammock in summer 2023 on the topic of War and Humanities. Individual talks in the series analyzed histories and contemporary contexts of the way war shapes and is shaped by art, narrative, and institutions. Carol McCusker (Harn Museum of Art) spoke about “War and Photography, a History,” and Anastasia Ulanowicz (English) gave a presentation on “War and Children’s Literature.” Sean Adams (History) explored the topic of “War and Monuments” and Barbara Mennel (English, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and CHPS) spoke about “War and Film.” Aida Hozic (Political Science) gave a talk on “War and Women” and Yaniv Feller (Religion, Center for Jewish Studies) concluded the series with a presentation on “War and the Museum.”
GRADUATE HUMANITIES ENGAGEMENT
CHPS organized a number of programs, workshops, lectures, and informal gatherings aimed toward supporting the professional development of humanities graduate students. The two biggest programs featured in 2023 were the Public Humanities Internship Program and the Graduate Humanities Summer Institute. In its third cycle, the Public Humanities Internship Program awarded four nationwide opportunities. Throughout the course of the internship, Ph.D. students expanded their professional skills and networks while gaining meaningful humanistic work experience beyond a traditional classroom setting. Featuring five days of lectures, workshops, and small-group discussions, the 2023 Institute was designed to expand graduate students’ humanistic toolkits, research outputs, and abilities to translate their scholarly expertise for diverse professional contexts.
UF SYNERGIES: Current Scholarship in the Humanities
With the ongoing support from the Rothman Endowment, CHPS awarded Rothman Faculty Fellowships for summer 2023, and with the support of the Tedder Family Endowment, the Center awarded Tedder Family Doctoral and Rothman Doctoral Fellowships to doctoral students for research to support their dissertations. These awardees will present their research in “UF Synergies: Current Scholarship in the Humanities,” which will continue this coming academic year. For past and future Synergies events, visit here.
ONGOING INTERNAL GRANTS AND SUPPORT
CHPS continues its menu of awards, including the Library Enhancement Program, Support for Workshops and Speaker Series in the Humanities, the Rothman Faculty Summer Fellowships in the Humanities, the Programs in Public Humanities, the Summer Residencies for Ph.D. Students at the National Humanities Center, the Tedder Family and Rothman Doctoral Fellowships in the Humanities, and the Publication Subventions.
Soon we will publish our new call for proposals for fellowships, grants, and public programs!
SPEAKER SERIES 2023-24: Scales of Belonging
Recent years have given life an experimental feel. As interlocked and unpredictable sources of upheaval become the norm, we ask: how and where do we belong? From football fields and detention centers to the planet itself, the Center’s 2023-24 Speaker Series investigates our myriad Scales of Belonging.
The first public talk in the 2023-24 series will be:
Dipesh Chakrabarty (University of Chicago)
“Why A New Philosophical Anthropology?”
4:00 p.m. Thursday, September 21, 2023 — Smathers Library 100
Find out more on the upcoming Speaker Series here.
Please visit us in 200 Walker Hall to take advantage of our programs and resources and introduce yourself. Feel free to share ideas for future initiatives and provide us with feedback on past events. I look forward to meeting you throughout the year!
Warmly,
Jaime Ahlberg
Rothman Chair and Director
Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere
University of Florida
22 August 2023
Previous Letters from the Director: