Centre for the Humanities

The Centre for the Humanities of Utrecht University is not only the platform for pioneering work, but also for innovative research and research training activities. The Centre aims to bundle the most innovative and excellent research of the faculty and to present it to the outside world. This way a broader non-academic audience can become aware of the relevance of the humanities. The Centre contributes to this by the following activities:

• Organising joint, cross-faculty research activities, such as symposia, seminars and conferences.
• Sponsoring a selected range of academic, artistic and cultural activities designed both for members of the academic community and for the general public.
• Building a network of strong alliances with a number of preferred local and international partners and thus boosting the excellence and outstanding quality of research in the humanities at Utrecht University.
• Increasing the visibility of the topics and the methods that make the humanities vital and unique both at Utrecht University and in the contemporary world.

With the question 'What is Human about the Humanities?' the Centre aims to investigate different aspects of the fundamental categories within the humanities, in interdisciplinary perspective. The Centre actively co-operates with the leading research institutes of the faculty, as well as with the Utrecht focus areas, the City of Utrecht and the Treaty of Utrecht organisation.

Central research themes

Social Theory
The aim of this theme is to explore the developments in social theory in conjunction with the humanities, art and culture and their relationship to the major political, economic and technological changes of the period. We focus on European politics, social and intellectual movements and post-colonial developments on an international as well as local level through, for instance, the launching of The Treaty of Utrecht chair in 2009.
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The Arts in Society
The theme is jointly organised with BAK (Basis voor Actuele Kunst), the contemporary arts centre in Utrecht and in co-operation with the Utrecht City Council. It aims at exploring the intersection between society and the arts through exhibitions, lectures and discussions as well as through the Artist in Residence and Writer in Residence programmes.
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The Humanities in the 21st Century
This theme aims at exploring the intersection between arts and science as well as their relations to European political and mediated developments. The projects focus on the multiple genealogies of the humanities through selected themes, for instance the interaction between historical and contemporary visualisation techniques, the making of science and the political relevance of the humanities today.
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