Our History

Our History

The Humanities Institute tracks its roots to 1998, when Chris Zacher founded the Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities, later renamed the Humanities Institute. This unit has been an active part of the Humanities at Ohio State since its founding. Built on the principles of collaborative research, interdisciplinarity, and innovation, the Institute naturally formed relationships with many other active centers within the Humanities. 

Currently, the Humanities Institute is home to 5 centers and the Humanities Collaboratory. These centers are: the Center for Ethnic Studies, the Center for Folklore Studies, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Center for the Study of Religion, and the Melton Center for Jewish Studies. More information about the Humanities Collaboratory can be found below.

The Humanities Collaboratory

The Humanities Collaboratory serves as an incubator for new collaborative modes of scholarship, teaching, and engagement. Among its activities, the Collaboratory curates programming designed to spark new conversations and visions for the future of the humanities, and it actively explores new models of career diversity for humanities PhDs. While maintaining roots in the long-standing disciplines and departments, the Collaboratory works to facilitate the formation of new constellations of humanities faculty and students–in working groups, initiatives, and centers–all designed to create new knowledge through collaboration with communities on and beyond campus.

The Humanities Collaboratory hosts several working groups across campus in the Humanities. More information about the working groups can be found on the working groups page.