For the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years, the Franklin Humanities Institute has selected the theme of World Arts.

The World Arts series explores the world-making potential of the arts and the ways in which worlds are imagined within them. Events and working groups will examine the way in which the arts and humanities have been conceptualized with an expanded world view, whether in terms of universalisms and planetarities; by trade and trade routes, such as the spice trade, silk routes, and the slave trade; and by worldview, whether religious, ideological, or territorial.  Seeking to provide a platform for a broad historical and geographical investigation, we will also explore how older and newer empires are sustained by the imaginative work of the political, of the spiritual and of astronomy as well as land, space, finance, and secular and religious worldviews. We will also explore current conceptualizations of world arts, in categories such as: world literature, the global novel, international style, world music and dance, art and architecture biennials, and music, dance, and film festivals.

The Franklin Humanities Institute welcomes collaborations with other Duke University entities on the theme of World Arts. To submit an initial request for event co-sponsorship, please fill out the form linked here.