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).

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 Intellectual Thought, Harvard University)
• Ugo Mondini (Byzantine and Greek Studies, Oxford University/Ghent University)
• Václav Zheng (History of East-Central Europe, Johns Hopkins University)

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:

• What distinctive forms have humanisms and renaissances assumed across time and space—and how and why?
• How were humanisms and renaissances variously shaped by domestic and cross-cultural developments?
• How did socio-technological developments, such as the invention of printing, changes in religious institutions, or colonial governance, shape humanisms and renaissances?
• How can we collectively develop new research and pedagogical programs based on a deeper understanding of the diverse manifestations of humanisms around the world?
• 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 .