Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University

06/02/2026

JOB POSTING 📎

The John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University is seeking a Program Director of Research Development and Scholarly Publishing.

This unique role supports humanities scholars across the research lifecycle—from book and publication development to fellowship and grant proposal advancement—while helping shape innovative programs that strengthen scholarly publishing and humanities research at Duke. The position offers a hybrid work arrangement based in Durham, NC.

If you are passionate about the humanities, scholarly communication, research development, and supporting faculty success, we encourage you to learn more and apply.

Applications are now being accepted:

Posted 2:23:13 AM. Duke UniversityDuke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

06/02/2026

We invite our community to read a thoughtful new essay from KOLUMN Magazine examining the life, work, and enduring legacy of historian John Hope Franklin.

Widely recognized as one of the most influential scholars of the twentieth century, Franklin transformed the study of American history through his groundbreaking scholarship, public leadership, and unwavering commitment to historical truth. His work challenged generations of readers, educators, and institutions to reckon more fully with the complexities of the American past.

At a moment when questions of history, memory, and democratic responsibility remain especially urgent, this reflection on Franklin's contributions offers valuable perspective on the role of the humanities in public life and the importance of rigorous scholarship in advancing understanding.

We encourage you to take a few moments to read the piece and consider the continued relevance of Franklin's work for our present moment.

From Tulsa to Harvard to the White House, John Hope Franklin argued that honesty was a civic obligation.

05/08/2026

NEW ON YOUTUBE: The second video from our FHI Short Residency where we welcomed Christopher Newfield as he spoke on the knowledge crisis facing the university system from such challenges as the current administration, AI, and a devaluing of critical thinking. Here's Newfield's premise for this discussion:
"Most accounts of literary and cultural study reject or neglect the social demands placed on universities and all their disciplines, including theory, criticism, and race and gender studies. They understate the power of literature and criticism in the collective psychic life of culture-and diminish their own power within academia as well. I'll discuss several ways out of this trap, and suggest why criticism should be central to what Stuart Hall called the "new cultural order" that needs to be built."
-Dr. Christopher Newfield

SUBSCRIBE to the FHI Newsletter: https://duke.is/5/na5pFROM THE SPEAKER: "Most accounts of literary and cultural study reject or neglect the social demands p...

05/04/2026

We WELCOMED to our lecture hall to celebrate their landmark 100th year! Two panels that discussed EVERYTHING you need to know about publishing your humanities or social science book. From turning a dissertation into a book to finding the best press for what you want to write. A packed house full of questions is always a great way to know we had a successful event! A perfect way to round out an awesome Spring semester of conversations and engagement.

04/11/2026

We experienced a fertile first day of our three-day conference, “Fredric Jameson and the Future of Critical Theory.” Dr. Jameson (1934-2024) insisted on “imagining a future which might be radically and constitutionally other.” We are joined by such luminaries as Achille Mbembe & Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak along with Jane Gaines who spoke on “Sci Fi and Jameson’s Futurologies.” And many more! We want to continue the project of Jameson’s work in critical theory and to expand on its insights and foreclosures for the future.

03/30/2026

NEW ON YOUTUBE: How can language name geopolitical difference without claiming faithful representation, especially when such terms are under fire? This talk, from the manuscript “Catachresis: Notes on Troping Difference,” traces the critical genealogy of catachresis, a trope revived by deconstructionists like Derrida, de Man, and Spivak to probe the limits of language.

The argument centers on Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who deployed catachresis to consider the ethical problems of representing racialized and colonial gender without fixing its meaning. Her engagement with Derridean textuality informs her critique of “master words” (e.g., ‘women,’ ‘proletariat’) and forges a more nuanced model of political representation.

While Spivak is a pivotal reference today, the deconstructive depth of her method is often overlooked. Recovering her approach offers a corrective to recent scholarship, like Lee Edelman’s Bad Education, that aligns phenomenal difference with catachrestic negation. This talk argues against such a conflation of the tropological with the ontological, advocating for a deconstructive reading of difference beyond analogical similitude. Stay tuned for the rest of our Spring semester talks to populate our channel. Subscribe to get the latest updates!

03/30/2026

NEW ON YOUTUBE: Our tgiFHI series continues on our YouTube channel! This is a weekly series that gives Duke faculty in the humanities, interpretive social sciences and the arts an opportunity to present their current research to their departmental and interdepartmental colleagues, students, and other interlocutors in their fields.

ABOUT THIS TALK: How can language name geopolitical difference without claiming faithful representation, especially when such terms are under fire? This talk, from the manuscript "Catachresis: Notes on Troping Difference," traces the critical genealogy of catachresis, a trope revived by deconstructionists like Derrida, de Man, and Spivak to probe the limits of language.

The argument centers on Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who deployed catachresis to consider the ethical problems of representing racialized and colonial gender without fixing its meaning. Her engagement with Derridean textuality informs her critique of "master words" (e.g., 'women,' 'proletariat') and forges a more nuanced model of political representation.

While Spivak is a pivotal reference today, the deconstructive depth of her method is often overlooked. Recovering her approach offers a corrective to recent scholarship, like Lee Edelman's Bad Education, that aligns phenomenal difference with catachrestic negation. This talk argues against such a conflation of the tropological with the ontological, advocating for a deconstructive reading of difference beyond analogical similitude.

Stay tuned for the rest of our Spring semester talks to populate our channel. Subscribe to get the latest updates!

ABOUT THE TALK: How can language name geopolitical difference without claiming faithful representation, especially when such terms are under fire? This talk,...

03/27/2026

Registration deadline for this landmark three-day conference is coming soon! Help us to propel Fredric Jameson’s enduring legacy and to keep imagining, with him, the future of Critical Theory! https://www.fredricjamesonandthefutureofcriticaltheory.org/registration

The registration deadline for "Fredric Jameson and the Future of Critical Theory," a symposium featuring Michael Denning, Jane Gaines, Achille Mbembe, Toril Moi, & Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, is coming up 3/31. Sign up now!
https://buff.ly/KCrn1re

03/27/2026

REGISTER BY 3/31! Fredric Jameson (1934–2024) insisted on “imagining a future which might be radically and constitutionally other.” The urgency of this task rested on his understanding of Critical Theory “as a way of keeping the negative alive in a period in which praxis, the unity of the negative and the positive, itself seems suspended.” Over the years, Critical Theory has received scholarly and popular attention; it has simultaneously been pronounced dead and an enduring threat. We invite scholars, including students, to join us at Duke University for a three-day celebration of Fredric Jameson’s enduring legacy—and to keep imagining, with him, the future of Critical Theory.

The conference is organized by Duke’s Graduate Program in Literature, where Jameson taught for forty years, and the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. We acknowledge the generous support of the Holberg Prize Committee, Norway.

03/18/2026

Tribute to Valentin Mudimbe: Unmaking the Archive

Thursday, April 9, 2026
11:00am-5:00pm EST

Duke University, Smith Warehouse, Bay 4, Ahmadieh Lecture Hall

RSVP for in-person event: https://duke.is/mudimbe
Or register for Zoom option: https://duke.is/mudimbe-zoom

The work of Valentin-Yves Mudimbe has profoundly shaped how we think, teach, and imagine the possibilities of knowledge. His reflections on the colonial library, on the making and unmaking of “Africa” as a category, and on the labor of critique, remain foundational across disciplines. At Duke University—where Mudimbe’s presence, writings, and mentorship have left a lasting imprint—there is both an intellectual and ethical imperative to honor this legacy.

Tribute to Valentin Mudimbe: Unmaking the Archive brings together scholars, students, and readers whose work has been shaped—directly or indirectly—by Mudimbe’s thought. By gathering we affirm Mudimbe’s continued presence within the life of this institution and acknowledge the unique role Duke has played in the circulation of his ideas. Above all, the colloquium honors a thinker who taught us that critique must be both generous and rigorous, that concepts must be unsettled before they can be renewed, and that the task of thought is never completed. In celebrating Mudimbe, we celebrate the ongoing work of imagining otherwise.

Program:
Arrivals and Lunch (11:00AM - 12:00PM)
Welcome By Khwezi Mkhize (12:00PM - 12:05PM)
Panel 1: Reflections on Mudimbe
(12:00PM-1:20 PM)
Moderator: Anne-Maria Makhulu
Michael Hardt, Duke University
Tsitsi Jaji, Duke University
Gregson Davis, Duke University
Ainehi Edoro, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Achille Mbembe, Wits University (Zoom)

Tea Break: 1:20 – 1:30PM

Panel 2: Unmaking the Archive (1:30PM - 2:50PM)
Moderator: Unglid Paul
Justin Bisanswa, University of Laval
Mamadou Diouf, Columbia University
Nadia Yala Kisukidi, New York University (Zoom)
Alírio Karina, University of Warwick (Zoom)

Tea Break: 2:50PM - 3:00PM

Panel 3: Beyond the Colonial Library
(3:00PM - 4:20 PM)
Moderator, Michaëlle Vilmont
Salim Abdelmadjid, University of Toulouse
Kirk Sides, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux, Sciences Po Paris (Zoom)

Tea Break: 4:20PM – 4:30PM

Closing (4:30 PM - 5:00PM)
Felwine Sarr, Thanks and Closing Remarks
General conversation

Co-sponsors:

John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, Black Archival Imagination Lab, Concilium on Southern Africa, Ecologies of Knowledge, Duke Literature Program, The Fredric Jameson Institute for Critical Theory, Africa Initiative.