Videos

“Environmental Humanities at the Crossroads of Climate Change”: A Panel Moderated by Robert D. Newman

This scholarly roundtable, featuring Center Fellows in conversation with NHC President and Director Robert D. Newman, explored the important role for humanists in ongoing public discourse about climate change. Touching on topics such as environmental justice and indigenous peoples, the economic history and lasting legacies of deforestation in Latin America, and the shift in demand for fossil fuels to support global military conflicts, these scholars discussed how the human element must be accounted for as we struggle to shape climate policies for the twenty-first century.

An Evening with Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist

Since first coming to prominence with his Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on the My Lai massacre and its subsequent cover-up during the Vietnam War, Seymour “Sy” Hersh has remained one of our nation's most important investigative journalists. Hersh recently published his tenth book, Reporter: A Memoir, in which he reflects on his long career as a journalist, shares behind-the-scenes accounts of the people and events who were central to his most important stories, and reminds us again of the vital importance of a free press.

Tania Munz, “Nerds in the Woods, or Why the Humanities Matter”

Tania Munz, vice president for scholarly programs, recently presented a five-minute talk at RTP180, a monthly showcase for organizations in NC’s Research Triangle Park. In her talk, “Nerds in the Woods, or Why the Humanities Matter,” Munz discussed the Center's role in support of advanced humanities research and the ways this research contributes not only to researchers' specific academic fields but to broader questions and concerns.

Maud Ellmann, “‘Vaccies Go Home!’: Evacuation, Psychoanalysis and Fiction in World War II Britain”

On September 1, 1939, the British government launched a program ominously codenamed Operation Pied Piper, whereby thousands of children were evacuated from the cities to the countryside. This operation brought class conflict into the foreground, laying bare the drastic inequalities of British society, but also provided the foundations for the development of child psychoanalysis. This talk by Maud Ellmann examines the impact of the evacuation crisis on psychoanalytic theories of the child, comparing these to the depiction of children in wartime fiction.

Alan Taylor, “Educating Citizens and Reforming Generations”

​In the wake of the American Revolution, political leaders insisted that their new republic could not survive without improved and more comprehensive public education meant to create better informed citizens. But the push for educational reform often ran afoul of local legislators and voters, who balked at the taxes needed to fund expanded systems of education. In his talk, historian Alan Taylor discusses this​ ​intriguing irony—that republican reliance on popular sovereignty complicated efforts by elites to improve voters through education.

Conversation with Robert D. Newman

UNC-TV’s “Conversation”: An Interview with Dr. Robert D. Newman

In this wide-ranging interview with ​​Conversation host Mitchell Lewis, National Humanities Center​ ​President Robert D. Newman discusses the significance of the humanities in everyday life, the enduring importance of humanities scholarship, and the mission of the National Humanities Center to advance humanities research, teaching, and public engagement. This program originally aired on UNC-TV’s NC Channel on June 27, 2017.

history of the banjo

“The Banjo: A Musical Conversation” with Laurent Dubois and Joe Newberry

​The banjo links disparate musical and cultural traditions — from Africa to the Caribbean to the United States — and its history is deeply interwoven with the history of those places. ​Recently, NHC Fellow Laurent Dubois and musician Joe Newberry​ participated in a “musical conversation” exploring this fascinating history and performed songs for NHC trustees, Fellows and special guests.