The 2023-2024 Humanities Dialogue
SOVEREIGNTIES
A year-long conversation that mobilizes humanities research to question, understand, and reimagine sovereignties—bodily, artistic, intellectual, geopolitical—and their global histories, contemporary challenges, and possible futures
This Dialogue series seeks to examine Sovereignties in many dimensions. Restrictions on bodily autonomy—from borders to identity to reproductive rights—are pressing in familiar and unfamiliar ways. Collectives and individuals are practicing sovereignty beyond state formations—in gardens, on floating cities, in activist solidarities—even while confronting the consequences of pollution that seeps into bodies and foods. The Kaplan Humanities Institute Sovereignties Dialogue will contend with these contradictions, the histories that re-emerge in the present, and the forms of belonging forged against, within, and beyond the state.
Bodies • States and Non-States • Nations • Biopolitics • Belonging • Entanglement • Erasure • Disenchantment • Data • Lands • Libraries • Citizens • Propaganda • Censorship • Food • Repatriation
Please join us for this year-long conversation!
The goal of the Dialogue is to build a multi-layered conversation showcasing ways that different humanities- and art-related approaches shape the debate around a timely subject. We seek to support scholars, public intellectuals, artists, and activists from a variety of disciplines, geographic areas of focus, and historical periods. The Sovereignties Dialogue will include:
- Quarterly keynotes – Kaplan will convene three large-scale keynotes on the theme of Sovereignties
- Co-sponsored events – Kaplan will partner with Northwestern departments and programs to present speakers to provide different perspectives on the theme from multiple eras, approaches, and regions
- Related curriculum – Kaplan will advertise courses that relate to our theme so that students can join our collective brainstorming
- Course enhancement grants – Kaplan will provide funds for enriching courses related to the theme (see application information below)
Sovereignties event listings
Visit the Sovereignties event page here: https://humanities.northwestern.edu/about/events/sovereignties-23-24/sovereignties-events.html
Related curriculum
Are you teaching a course related to the Sovereignties theme in 2023-2024? Kaplan will promote it in connection with the Dialogue series. Please send the course title and quarter it will be offered to Jill Mannor: jill.mannor@northwestern.edu.
Course enhancement grants
Enrich the content of your Sovereignties-related course with funds to cover performances, field trips, or guest lecturer honoraria (within university guidelines). Full details on the request form here (please download this form to your desktop to fill out).
Submit your completed form to Jill Mannor: jill.mannor@northwestern.edu.
Kaplan will award course enhancement grant requests on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.