The Center promotes understanding of the humanities and highlights their vital role in a vibrant, democratic society through a variety of public programs and initiatives, podcasts, and events.
Public Events
A Crisis of Caring: The Humanities and Our Health
April 11–14, 2022
This interdisciplinary conference considers the ways that knowledge drawn from humanities disciplines and methodologies can help identify the symptoms and causes of our malaise while guiding us toward a healthier, more caring future.
In Our Image: Artificial Intelligence and the Humanities
April 7–22, 2021
This conference examines issues surrounding the integration of AI through a series of virtual events highlighting perspectives from leading humanists, scientists, engineers, artists, writers, and executives collectively advancing inquiry into key emerging questions.
Fresh Off the Press: NHC Fellows Discuss New and Intriguing Work
November 2021–May 2022
The National Humanities Center is pleased to present a series of engaging monthly talks featuring recently published books by NHC Fellows on a variety of topics.
The Trial of Lizzie Borden
November 19, 2019
Cara Robertson (Fellow 2004–05; 2005–06) discusses one of the most famous trials in American history, offering a detailed account of the events while also providing a window into America’s Gilded Age.
Videos
The Pre-History—and Likely Sequels—of the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
Scholar-to-Scholar Talk
The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was the most violent assault on democracy in modern American history. Nancy MacLean (NHC Fellow, 2008–09; 2021–22) explains how it was the product of decades of intentional cultivation.
Freedomville: The Story of a 21st Century Slave Revolt
Laura T. Murphy (NHC Fellow, 2017–18)
Freedomville is the story of a small group of enslaved villagers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, who founded their own town of Azad Nagar—Freedomville—after staging a rebellion against their slaveholders.
Educating Citizens and Reforming Generations
Alan Taylor (NHC Fellow, 1993–94)
In the wake of the American Revolution, republican reliance on popular sovereignty complicated efforts by elites to improve voters through education.
An Evening with Seymour Hersh
NHC Public Event
Seymour “Sy” Hersh, one of our nation’s most important investigative journalists, discusses his most recent book, Reporter: A Memoir.
Podcasts
Discovery and Inspiration
Podcast Series
What makes scholars so passionate about the subjects they pursue? What is it like for them to make a new discovery? To answer a confounding question? And what can we learn by taking the time to ask scholars about the research they are doing?
Nerds in the Woods
Podcast Series
A series of virtual audio journeys through the intellectual woods, surveying some of the compelling topics being studied by historians and philosophers, scholars of literature, art, and other fields who come to the Center from all over the world.
Breaking Music’s Fourth Wall
Mark Evan Bonds (NHC Fellow, 1995–96; 2021–22)
Exploring the way that composers subverted audience expectations can help us to understand the ways that styles of music appreciation have changed from the Enlightenment to the present day.
The Evolution of Medieval Vengeance Narratives
Timothy L. Stinson (NHC Fellow, 2021–22)
The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans led early Christians to claim that this event was an example of divine retribution for the death of Jesus.
Humanities in Action
Individual Rights vs. Social Responsibilities in a Pandemic
In a pluralistic society committed to personal freedom, how can the humanities help us take action to ensure the common good?
Healing Rifts and Restoring Civility
What role do the humanities play in resolving conflicts, establishing justice, and fostering unity?
Addressing Structural Racism in the Academy
We must pay attention to those whose experiences of the academy have been shaped by encounters with racial bias if we are to have hope of correcting it.
Pursuing Justice and Preserving Open Debate
How do we balance our pursuit of a more just and equitable society with our desire to protect freedom of expression?
Humanities Moments
Fall into the Humanities: Celebrating National Arts & Humanities Month
Since 1993, October has marked National Arts & Humanities Month, an excellent chance to reflect on how the humanities have touched our lives.
Composing Connections Through Music
Both intensely personal and communal, music is a medium through which to engage the world and one another, allowing us to forge connections across geographical and cultural borders.
How I Came to Oppose the Death Penalty
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Steve Earle discusses the impact of witnessing his father write a letter to the Texas governor on behalf of a condemned man in San Antonio.
La Fiesta de La Tirana: Integrating Spirituality, Corporality, and Tradition
The more we learn about divinity, the more we learn about our own transcendence and significance. The closer we get to our reality, the closer we get to unraveling the mystery of divinity.
