About the Institute

Since its inception in 1983, the Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University has been dedicated to the exploration of the critical perspectives that relate social concerns to the cultural and historical legacy of the Humanities. The Institute seeks to facilitate the development of attitudes that lead toward active engagement in society. In taking such a role, the Institute hopes to contribute reflective, contemplative, and critical public points of view on the conflicts and contentious issues of our time.

The Institute for the Humanities:

  • Initiates, plans and supports interdisciplinary programs, conferences, seminars and research which bring together faculty in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts, with each other and with members of the wider community to discuss and study areas of common concern, and of social and intellectual significance;
  • Encourages, facilitates, and participates in independent, multi-disciplinary research on a variety of themes and issues related to modern cultural studies;
  • Works closely with the Department of Humanities in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in support of its teaching program;
  • Establishes contacts with organizations and universities where similar programs and Institutes exist.

Through these programs and initiatives the Institute hopes to bring together the resources and expertise of the University and the interests and the needs of groups in the wider community.

History

The Institute for the Humanities began in 1983 as a home for research, public programming and for the development of ideas concerning social issues. The Institute was one of the first such Institutes in Canada to pursue these goals. The mandate to build audiences for the humanities in the public sphere has been carried out along four broad interrelated themes: humanities and modernity; community education; cultural roots of violence and non violence; human rights and democratic development.

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photo by Greg Ehlers, LIDC

What are the Humanities?

The study of the Humanities covers a broad range of ideas and subjects drawn from philosophy, art, literature, history, religion, science, and social and political thought. Through an interdisciplinary approach to culture, the study of the Humanities raises critical questions about the achievements and controversies associated with the human condition.