Institute for the Humanities

Tukilile Vaa Kaloki Nyamai's large-scale paintings explore Kenya's histories and collective memory. Nyamai blends Kamba traditions with contemporary narratives and finds inspiration in his grandmother’s stories. Jan 14 - Feb 27, 2026.

Translating the Frontier: Just War and Free Circulation on the Roads of Colonial Mexico As part of our Hear, Here: Humanities Up Close series, 2025-26 2025-26 John Rich Faculty Fellow Daniel Nemser will discuss a part of his current project in a short talk followed by Q & A. Jan. 27 at 12:30pm

The Watermelon Woman Director Cheryl Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video-store clerk and aspiring director whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate an obscure 1930s performer known as the Watermelon Woman, whose story proves to have surprising resonances with Cheryl’s own life as she navigates a new relationship. Jan 27 at the State Theatre. Free admission!

"Resurgo" Reception Join us at the Institute for the Humanities to meet and chat with Resurgo director and photographer Stephen McGee. McGee will share behind-the-scenes insights about the making of the film and Detroit’s inspiring rebirth. Jan. 29, 4-6pm.

E-News for Humanities Students Through this montly newsletter, we aim to inform students of all things humanities happening on campus – from event announcements and fun facts to academic resources and professional opportunities. Click to read the latest issue!

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Recent News

Alanna Heatherly Traces Pain and Identity in the Roman Empire

Heatherly’s interest in pain is personal as well as academic. As someone in a family affected by the opioid epidemic, she saw how pain, its treatment, and social expectations intersect in powerful ways.

Mix Mann Explores Queer Domestic Histories

The challenge of reconstructing the lives of women-loving-women, especially Black women, comes from the many gaps in the archives and what historians call a “culture of dissemblance.”

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Land Acknowledgement

The University of Michigan is located on the territory of the Anishinaabe people. In 1817, the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadami Nations made the largest single land transfer to the University of Michigan, ceded in the Treaty of Fort Meigs, so that their children could be educated. We acknowledge the history of native displacement that allowed the University of Michigan to be founded. Today we reaffirm contemporary and ancestral Anishinaabek ties to the land and their profound contributions to this institution.

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