Category: Upcoming Events

Dear colleagues, students, and friends,

Join us for the 2025 GHI 3rd Forum! This session introduces the GHI Pillar Good Governance in Bad Times, in particular the project Comparative Diplomacies for Global Governance. The coordinators of the pillar invite participants to explore how we might study models of governance that have historically promoted cooperation, human flourishing, and social justice, with new comparative knowledge of concepts and practices of governance in deep time and space.

3rd GHI Forum

• Title: Good Governance in Bad Times
• Date: June 6, 10:00–11:30 AM EDT
• Where: Online (Zoom link HERE)
• Speakers: Michael Puett, Johannes Makar, Wiebke Denecke
• Special Guest: Minjee Baek (Consul of the Republic of Korea)

【Abstract】

What makes political systems last and, more importantly, what enables them to support human flourishing and social justice? And when they falter, as many do, how can we understand their failures and imagine their repair? This panel discusses the work of GIH’s Good Governance in Bad Times pillar. The pillar explores models of governance from global history that have worked to foster cohesion and cooperation. Through key sources in world literature, philosophy, and political thought, it examines the forms of political imagination that have allowed communities to endure—and sometimes transform—in moments of crisis. The roundtable will spotlight the Comparatives Diplomacies project, a collaborative research project under GHI’s Governance pillar, which investigates how diplomacy and political authority have been mediated, narrated, and challenged across cultural contexts—and how this has positively impacted diplomatic leadership and practice. The panel will begin with short vignettes introducing the project through the eyes of each panelists’ expertise. It will conclude with a performance by Minjee Baek, the Consul of the Republic of Korea in Boston, in which she will reflect on Korea’s cultural diplomacy in the contemporary world—specifically how Korea builds and exercises soft power.

Looking forward to seeing you at our events!

The GHI Team

Join us on our journey toward building a better world!

The Global Humanities Initiative (GHI) was born in 2021 with the goal of creating an MIT-based worldwide community that works globally towards reinvigorating humanistic learning and education by radically expanding the geographical scope and temporal depth of humanistic disciplines, thereby reimagining their critical relevance to the grand challenges of today’s world.

True to an enhanced version of MIT’s motto, “mens, manus et cor” (mind, hand & heart), GHI proposes a hands-on approach to addressing the pressing challenges of our time. Our motto is “Legacies for Our Future,” setting our compass on promoting human flourishing now, and creating good legacies for the future of humankind and our planet.

We invite you to a special evening celebrating our humanity and community. The event will feature a distinguished surprise speaker, dynamic pitches from GHI members, a keynote address by Kim Jae-hui, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Boston, a special performance by Grammy Award-winning pioneering multi-style cellist Mike Block, a reinterpretation of Asian traditional dance by the student dance team MIT Flow, and a Korean folk painting (minhwa) experience with three artists during the reception.

Join us on this shared journey to reimagine the power of the humanities—together!

Warmest regards,

Wiebke Denecke and the GHI team

Program   Date & Time: May 14, 2025, 5:00–7:00 PM Location: Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building @ MIT Organizer: MIT Global Humanities Initiative (GHI) Co-sponsors: MITHIC, Literature, History, Global Languages, Music and Theater Arts   Main Event      Distinguished Surprise Guest      Welcome: Wiebke Denecke (Faculty Lead of GHI, Literature)                                 GHI Member Pitches                                                – Sandy Alexandre (Literature, MIT)    – Jason Chen (MIT‘25, Mechanical Engineering & Literature)    – Otto Scharmer (Sloan School of Management, MIT)    – Alicia Stevens (Cambridge University) & Kyaw Moe Khine    – Richard Eberhardt (Game Lab, MIT)    – Kelly Kim (MIT’26, Literature & Management)    – Margery Resnick (Literature, MIT)    – Johannes Makar (Harvard University)      – Diana Henderson (Literature, MIT)    – Michael Puett (Harvard University) Mike Block     – Opening musical performance                          MIT Flow Dance Team     – Arirang 《阿里郎》                 Kim Jae-Hui (the Consul General of the Republic of Korea)     – The Art of Cultural Diplomacy in an Age of Global Imbalance MIT Flow Dance Team     – By the Water 《在水一方》     Mike Block     – Closing musical performance                                                 Reception with Ch’aekkŏri (Scholars’ Studio Art) Donation Ceremony & Korean Painting Workshop            Painting donation ceremony                                                  – Chung Byungmo (Director of the School of Korean Folk Art, Seoul)           Opening of buffet and Korean Folk Art experience             – Kwak Yunmi, Kim Hakyung & Lee Jisun (Minhwa Artists, Seoul)

For questions, please contact the GHI coordinator Dr. Johann Noh at noh1214@mit.edu.

Join us for the 2025 GHI 2^nd Forum! This session introduces The Good Life: Religions, Philosophies & Sciences pillar inviting participants to explore how do religious, philosophical, and scientific ways of thinking and being foster good lives in an uncertain world.

2nd GHI Forum

• Title: The Good Life: Religions, Philosophies & Sciences
• Date: April 11, 10:00–11:30 AM EDT
• Where: Online (Zoom link HERE)
• Speakers: Rafal K. Stepien, Simran Jeet Singh, Andreas Ohlemacher, Wiebke Denecke

【Abstract】

How do religious, philosophical, and scientific ways of thinking and being nurture good lives? Taking this as a foundational question, this Forum of the Global Humanities Intitiative at MIT is devoted to bringing greater clarity and honesty into our understandings of belief, reason, and human discovery in all its myriad dimensions. Hosted by the MIT Pillar on ‘The Good Life’, the Forum outlines the challenges facing our endeavor, discusses and debates diverse conceptions of the good life stemming from several of the world’s intellectual traditions, explores the experiential potential of engaged scholarship in the first-person, and proposes ways to harvest the meaning-making potentials of religions, philosophies, and sciences in the service of more cosmopolitan modes of inter-personal, inter-communal, and inter-religious human flourishing.

On March 26, 2025, Profs. Nasser Rabbat and Margery Resnick will hold an event at the International Institute in Madrid, Spain to bring together experts across the field of Islamic Iberia and to set the stage for further global activities in this sphere.

This meeting of experts in the fields of architecture, music, art history, literature, archeology, history and urban studies will not only highlight aspects of  Islamic Iberian culture, but will situate these studies in today’s world.  The crucial shaping role of Islamic Iberia in Europe and the Middle East and how that role is studied in today’s context will form the nexus of this encounter.

The range of speakers, (see below)  the variety of expertise they represent, and their geographic diversity will draw students in the field from across the Iberian peninsula. It is our hope that a new generation of Islamic Iberian scholars will meet each other in this encounter.

This event marks the start of our mission of bringing the legacies of Islamic Iberia, in all their creative forms, into educational curricula and cultural institutions—schools, universities, museums, exhibits, concert halls.  The range of experts at our March 26^th event will emphasize the breadth of this legacy.

We aim to establish a framework for collaboration between MIT and US scholars, Spanish scholars, Middle Eastern scholars and Latin American scholars on the legacies of al-Andalus, by creating a network of interested individuals.  The Madrid event marks the beginning of this endavor.

Presenters at the March 26^th encounter in addition to Profs. Rabbat and Resnick:

• Susana Calvo Capilla
  Department of Art History
  Faculty of Geography and History
  Complutense University of Madrid

• Hames Bitar
  Professional oud player;  expert on al-Andalus music

• Pedro Buendía
  Department of Linguistics and Oriental Studies
  Area of Arabic and Islamic Studies
  Faculty of Philology
  Complutense University of Madrid

• Maria Jesus Viguera Molins
  Professor of Arabic Studies
  Complutense University of Madrid
  Academy of History

• Julio Navarro
  School of Arabic Studies (CSIC)
  Specialist in Islamic Archaeology, particularly in Murcia
  School of Arabic Studies, CSIC, Granada

• Dr. Antonio Orihuela
  Research Professor
  School of Arabic Studies (CSIC)
  Laboratory of Archaeology and Architecture of the City (LAAC)

• Luis J. García Pulido
  Senior Scientist
  School of Arabic Studies (EEA), CSIC
  Laboratory of Archaeology and Architecture of the City (LAAC)

You are cordially invited to join a globe-spanning conversation on Humanisms & Renaissances across world history sponsored by the MIT Comparative Global Humanities Initiative (GHI) and Ancient and Medieval Studies (AMS).

• TIME: March 21 2025 @ 4.00 – 5.30 pm US Eastern Standard Time
• LOCATION: MIT Hayden Library, Nexus Space 145-130 and hybrid
• (Optional) REGISTER FOR ZOOM: https://mit.zoom.us/meeting/register/oiIbIifwQ2it3CI3OFOYYw

CONVERSATION TOPIC:

Humanism is a belief system or attitude that appreciates the agency of human beings in this world. Proponents of humanism believe that humans have the capacity to reach their full potential through a process of self-examination and self-awareness, without the intervention of gods or other powers. They believe in the dignity of humans and in the value of their accomplishments. Forms of humanism thus typically emerged in historical moments when people looked back to a history of collective cultural achievement in order to seek political and moral guidance and cope with the challenges of an ever more complex present.

Although the Latin-derived word humanism is typically associated with Renaissance Europe, intellectual movements that believe in the creative power and inherent ability of humans for self-realization have existed in various cultures and periods across world history. Our panel expands the inquiry strategically far beyond Europe, including “humanisms” in Byzantium, East-Central Europe, the Arabic world, and East Asia, asking:

1. What distinctive forms have humanisms and renaissances assumed across time and space—and how and why?
2. How were humanisms and renaissances variously shaped by domestic and cross-cultural developments?
3. How did socio-technological developments, such as the invention of printing, changes in religious institutions, or colonial governance, shape humanisms and renaissances?
4. How can we collectively develop new research and pedagogical programs based on a deeper understanding of the diverse manifestations of humanisms around the world?
5. What are lessons from world history’s various humanisms and renaissances for our historical moment?

LIGHT SNACKS AND DRINKS WILL BE PROVIDED

For inquiries and questions please reach out to Johann Noh at noh1214@mit.edu.

On February 21, 2025, MIT’s Global Humanities initiative (GHI) hosts its inaugural GHI Forum Series from the Cognition, Learning & Human Flourishing pillar.

The speakers Jonas Mago (McGill University), Justus Wachs (McGill University) introducs the Cognition, Learning, and Human Flourishing pillar and the Living in Complexity project, inviting participants to explore how contemplative practices foster resilience, cognitive flexibility, and meaning-making in an uncertain world.

Throughout the event, participants will engage in meditation, somatic movement, and reflective writing—experiences that illuminated how contemplative practices can foster resilience, cognitive flexibility, and meaningful engagement in uncertain times. Attendees will also explore the interconnections between their own work and the forum’s themes, sparking inspiring discussions that united the mind, heart, spirit, and body.

1. GHI Forum Series

Join our online 2025 GHI Forum Series to hear about GHI’s research and action plan for each pillar from our pillar coordinators, explore common passions and interests, and discuss how you can join our efforts and particular projects.

We convene each month on a mid-month Thursday or Friday from 10 am to 11:30 AM EST.

1st GHI Forum

• Title: Cognition, Learning & Human Flourishing
• Date: February 21, 8:00–9:30 AM EST
• Speakers: Jonas Mago, Justus Wachs

• Title: The Good Life: Religions, Philosophies & Sciences
• Date: April 11, 10:00–11:30 AM EST
• Speakers: Rafal K. Stepien, Simran Jeet Singh, Andreas Ohlemacher, Wiebke Denecke

• Title: Good Governance in Bad Times
• Date: June 6, 10:00–11:30 AM EST
• Speakers: Wiebke Denecke, Johannes Makar, Michael Puett

• Title: Public Literacies: Civic Systems, Media & Emotional Intelligence
• Date: On July (TBD), 10:00–11:30 AM EST
• Speakers: Richard Eberhardt, Gabor Hollbeck, Mikael Jakobsson

2. Roundtable

Humanisms & Renaissances across World History–a Timely & Casual Conversation

• Time: March 21, 4:00-5:30 pm
• Location: MIT Hayden Library, Nexus Space 14S-130

A Roundtable with

Laura Ashe (English Literature, Oxford University)
Jason Chen (MIT’25, Mechanical Engineering & Literature)
Wiebke Denecke (East Asian Literatures and Thought, MIT)
Johannes Makar (Arabic Thought, Harvard University)
Ugo Mondini (Byzantine and Greek Studies, Oxford University)
Václav Zheng (History of East-Central Europe, Johns Hopkins University)

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3. GHI Comparative Global Dialogues

Join GHI members of our Area Expert hub, as they join GHI project leaders in comparatively exploring a particular research topic across millennia of human experience on our planet. Our Dialogues series will be kicked off in May.

4. Launch events

• Celebrate Global Humanities @ MIT for a Better World
  • With Mike Block, Grammy-Award Winning Cellist of the Silkroad Ensemble
  • Kim Jae-Hui, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Boston
  • Chung Byungmo, Director of the School of Minhwa (Korean Folk Painting)
  • Kwak Yunmi, Minhwa Artist
    • Time: May 14 2025, 5:00-7:00 PM
    • Location: Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building @ MIT
    • Organizer: MIT Global Humanities Initiative (GHI)

• Launch of the Asian Hub of MIT’s Global Humanities Initiative at Korea University: Catalyzing Human Flourishing in Uncertain Times
  • Location: Korea University, Seoul
  • Date: April 24-25, 2025

5. Annual Conferences

• 4^th Annual Conference of the MIT Global Humanities Initiative.
  • Title: Tools for Human Flourishing: Integrating Self-enhancement, Neuroscience, and Technology
  • Location: Korea University, Seoul
  • Date: November 20-21, 2025

• 5^th Annual Conference of the MIT Global Humanities Initiative
  • Philology 2.0 for Human Flourishing (in New York City; co-sponsored by GHI, New York University, LMU München; planned for November 2026)

6. GHI @ Annual Summit of GESDA 

• GHI presents its vision for Humanities & Social Sciences 2.0 at the 2025 Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit
  • Date: 15–17 October
  • Location: CERN, Geneva, Switzerland