Humanities Research Institute at University of Illinois
July 1, 2020
In a major milestone for the humanities at the University of Illinois, the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH) officially advanced to institute status in June 2020 with a new name: the Humanities Research Institute (HRI).
This change reflects both the legacy of excellence in humanities research at Illinois and a renewed commitment to our shared work for a just, livable and sustainable future for all. Read the news release.
WE INCUBATE BOLD IDEAS.
As the lifeblood of humanities research on the Urbana campus, we provide funding — through fellowships, internships, and programmatic support — and a forum for tackling big questions and imagining bold, human-centered approaches to working for change.
“I’d like people to think about the ‘R’ in HRI as the beating heart of what we do. Humanists are many things. We are teachers, we engage with a variety of audiences, and we are also researchers and scholars in the most imaginative and transformative ways.”
–Antoinette Burton, HRI Director
WE BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN COMMUNITIES.
Whether by convening interdisciplinary academic audiences or doing work that impacts local communities, HRI is committed to developing programs where people can see the humanities in action. Our work encourages ongoing dialogue with Illinois’ historic land grant mission by helping to orient humanities research, resources and influence toward new possibilities for the public university.
WE SHAPE CONVERSATIONS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
HRI serves as the administrative locus for the Mellon-funded Humanities Without Walls (HWW) consortium, which links the humanities centers at 16 research universities throughout the Midwest and beyond. Through additional affiliations and advocacy work, HRI fosters opportunities for humanists to impact the dialogue both nationally and internationally.