Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Humanities

Humanities Diptych image of the book cover of "Expanding Cinemas" and a headshot of Eduardo Ledesma.

Book explores experimental filmmaking in Latin America and Spain, from Super 8 to cell phones

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Experimental and amateur filmmakers are expanding cinema by using new technologies, such as cell phones and virtual reality, and through increasing globalization of the distribution of their work. Eduardo Ledesma, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Spanish professor, examined how experimental filmmakers in Latin America and Spain use alternative film formats in his […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of John Schwenkler surrounded by screens showing digital data.

How can digital technology contribute to human flourishing?

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign philosophy professor John Schwenkler is the director of the new Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age, housed in the philosophy department. The forum — which offers an undergraduate course, graduate fellowships, a speaker series and seminars — aims to examine the challenges and opportunities of living in a […]

Business Photo of Emily E. LB. Twarog, a professor of labor and employment relations and the co-director of the Regina V. Polk Women’s Labor Leadership Conference.

What are the historical precedents for consumer activism, economic blackouts?

Champaign, Ill. — The Feb. 28 “economic blackout” — in which consumers were encouraged not to spend any money for 24 hours — may have gone viral on social media, but what effect did it have in real life? Emily E. LB. Twarog is a professor of labor and employment relations and the co-director of […]

Humanities Diptych image of the book cover of "Yard Show" and a black-and-white headshot of Janice Harrington.

Poetry book looks at how people create a sense of place for themselves

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign English professor Janice Harrington examines the natural world, the histories of Black residents in the Midwest and how people create a sense of place for themselves in her most recent book of poetry, “Yard Show.” The book was on the longlist for the 2024 National Book Critics Circle […]

Humanities Diptych image of the book cover of "The Origins of Critical Race Theory," and a headshot of Latina/Latino studies professor Aja Martinez.

Book recounts history of critical race theory

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new book by rhetoric and history scholars examines the origins of critical race theory in legal studies. The movement is an area of legal scholarship that seeks to understand the relationship between race and racism and the law and other societal institutions in the U.S., the authors said. It is highly […]

Humanities Diptych image of the book cover of "Black Panther Woman" and a headshot of Mary Frances Phillips.

Biography examines spiritual wellness work of political activist Ericka Huggins

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Political activist and educator Ericka Huggins used spiritual wellness practices to cope with imprisonment and racial oppression. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of African American studies Mary Frances Phillips wrote about Huggins and how her wellness practices and political work were deeply entwined. Her new book, “Black Panther Woman: The Political and […]

Humanities Diptych image of Robert Dale Parker and book cover of "The Literature of Extreme Poverty in the Great Depression."

New book shows how literature of extreme poverty provides stirring view of the Great Depression

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The literature of extreme poverty during the Great Depression offered an aesthetic that matched the hopelessness and isolation of the unemployed and those living on the street. Robert Dale Parker, a professor emeritus of English at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, examines what he calls “the poetics of the stiff” — the […]

Humanities Diptych image with book cover of "The New Internationals" and a headshot of English professor David Wright Faladé

English professor’s novel tells of love triangle in post-WWII Paris, based on his family history

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new novel by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign English professor David Wright Faladé tells the story of three people in a love triangle in post-World War II Paris. The characters in “The New Internationals” — a young French woman who has survived the Holocaust, a university student from West Africa and a […]

Humanities Rana B. Khoury, a professor of political science at Illinois.

Study: Civil organizing persisted during Syrian civil war

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Where, when and how did civilians organize during the Syrian civil war that started in the aftermath of the Arab Spring in 2011 and lasted until the toppling of President Bashar Assad in late 2024? According to new research co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political scientist, civil organizing persisted during […]

Humanities Robert Morrissey and Charla EchoHawk

Paris research trip reconnects Native American tribes with historic painted robes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Robert Morrissey traveled to a Paris museum in November to see four ceremonial robes created more than 300 years ago by Native American tribes in Illinois. The research trip included members of the Miami and Peoria Nations and it was part of a collaborative project, “Reclaiming […]

Campus news

Illinois history professor awarded NEH Fellowship

Kristin Hoganson has been awarded a 2024 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

Humanities Portrait of Andrew White. He is standing in front of a screen displaying two images: on the left, a LiDAR image of Monks Mound in the ancient city of Cahokia; on the right, an artist's painted interpretation of what the city of Cahokia looked like in its heyday. The painting depicts Cahokia from an aerial perspective.

Are climate-related calamities erasing Illinois’ cultural history?

In a new report, scientists with the Illinois State Archaeological Survey describe how increased flooding, erosion and other effects of human-induced climate change are degrading many of the state’s cultural sites. ISAS research archaeologist Andrew White, a co-author of the report, spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the scope of the […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010