At the Stanford Humanities Center, we believe that the direction humanity takes depends entirely on which questions we choose to ask—and that humanities scholars are uniquely equipped to frame these fundamental questions. Through the study of history, philosophy, the arts, religion, and more, preeminent and emerging experts come together at the Stanford Humanities Center to look back and press forward. This is what humanities study is. And undertaking this essential work is how we discover who we have been and imagine the possibilities of who we might become. Only through this exploration—and your support of the Stanford Humanities Center—will the world be ready for needed change. Our best future stands before us. Help us reach it.
We need you to illuminate the path forward for humanity.
Since its founding in 1980, the Stanford Humanities Center has grown into the world’s largest hub for advanced research in the humanities, offering some of today’s most coveted fellowships for humanities scholars. Our fellows have gone on to receive Pulitzer Prizes and MacArthur “genius” grants. In addition, the Humanities Center creates an intellectual community for humanities scholars at all stages of their academic careers. It is the only place on campus, and indeed one of the very few in the world, where a visiting art historian, a graduate student in philosophy, and an undergraduate literature major can conduct research side by side and have formal and informal conversations to understand and inflect one another’s work. Despite our many successes, however, it is clear that we must build on our programs in new and unprecedented ways if we want to influence a world that desperately needs the connection only deep human understanding provides. In our increasingly complex and fragmented world, we all need the capacity to see things from the perspective of others. The best humanities research—such as that uniquely made possible by the Stanford Humanities Center— enables us to see the world, and ourselves, through different eyes.
The Stanford Humanities Center creates the time and space scholars need to dig deep into the questions that drive and deďŹ ne us. More than ever, in our fast-paced society, it is important for us to address these enduring questions from a grounded place, and in our own way, just as generations before us have done. This work renews intellectual life.
Which questi
ions matter? The Stanford Humanities Center nurtures, inspires, and amplifies the work of today’s premier humanities scholars. With your support, we make possible: • 50 fellowships for scholars investigating original research questions each year • A supportive intellectual community for scholars at all stages of their careers • The dissemination of diverse ideas and perspectives born of study • Productive collaborations between world-renowned researchers and writers • Workshops and public lectures on topics imperative to our lives today This research makes a difference. But, since the Stanford Humanities Center’s founding, Stanford University has grown exponentially and transformed the way scholars and scientists conduct research and share information. The Stanford Humanities Center has a pivotal role to play in the world, but we must have the necessary funding to keep pace. Your investment in the Humanities Center will re-engage Stanford and the world in the common good of the humanities. We can succeed, together.
You can give to change the world, or you can give so the world understands it needs to change.
Before charging into an uncertain future, we first need to pose the right questions and consider new possibilities. The Stanford Humanities Center has enabled our best and brightest to do exactly that for four decades—but it’s not enough. We must expand our reach and increase our impact if we want to realize our best future.
The Stanford Humanities Center has the potential to transform into a 21st century collaborative research hub, one that will lead us in bringing the ideas of today’s most adventurous thinkers to new audiences. Your gift will help fund: • A public profile unique among the nation’s humanities centers • Cutting-edge digital resources to change how scholars’ insights are shared with each other and with the public • International conferences that bring humanists’ perspectives to urgent questions such as climate change, the decline of evidence-based information, and privacy • Yearlong fellowships for leading faculty from around the world • Career-launching fellowships for Stanford’s most promising PhDs • Research workshops that engage faculty and graduate students in cross-disciplinary exchanges Reawaken human understanding by investing in the humanities of the future.
Can you change how you see the world?
The projects of fellows at the Stanford Humanities Center challenge us to consider the things we know—or think we know—in new ways.
An archaeologist looking at storage in ancient Rome finds a new way to understand people who left no written records. A linguist studies how languages change by adopting the perspective of the listener rather than the speaker. A philosopher considers how “working together” is scaled up from everyday acts such as painting a house to laws and institutions. And an art historian who examines abstract images from the Middle Ages upends conventional definitions of modern art. Humanities research, whether concerned with past, present, or future, isn’t esoteric. It uncovers fundamental truths about who we have been and who we are today. These truths show us that things we think of as objective—like the objects we collect, the concept of race, or the idea of the self—are in fact culturally determined and mutable. And with acceptance comes a shift in our perspectives—and our reality—freeing our imagination in the pursuit of a better future. This is what the humanities are for and why the Stanford Humanities Center exists. Your support will enable people to deeply understand different perspectives, question presuppositions, and ultimately realize that our future is ours to describe.
What’s your vision for humanity?
Today’s world needs deep human understanding and connection in order to imagine new possibilities. We must ground ourselves in the humanities to understand our changing world and our place in it, whether we’re discussing new technologies, emerging social structures, or the implications of widespread cross-cultural migration. The time has come for the Stanford Humanities Center to revitalize and reinforce the purpose of humanities research. We need to expand our programs and share the work of humanities scholars with the world in new, approachable, and engaging ways. By doing this, we will cultivate the empathy, humility, self-awareness, and perspective that prove essential to leaders in every field. Turn this vision into reality by investing in the Stanford Humanities Center today. Only by understanding our world—and ourselves—can we confidently lead humanity to its best future. For more information, please contact Assistant Director Susan Sebbard at sebbard@stanford.edu or 650-723-3053.
Lead humanity to its best future. Your leadership investment is critical to transforming the Stanford Humanities Center’s programs for the 21st century, so the world understands why and how it needs to change.
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