Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry

How can universities provide a research base for exploring the concept of attention?

On Sept. 22, join the Emory Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture for “Attention Studies: Configuring a New 'Interdisciplinary Discipline,” a lecture by Prof. Marion Thain (University of Edinburgh, Scotland).

In this talk, Prof. Thain will discuss her project with Oxford University Press, how we can study attention from an interdisciplinary perspective, and how it relates to publishing.

This event is a part of the Asking the Big Questions program, supported by the Teagle Foundation. No RSVP required – open to all!

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4rdVpvo.

Join us on October 8th for our first Habitat event of the year!
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Featured in The New York Times and Hyperallergic, "The World According to Sound" is a live audio show that takes audiences on a journey that traverses time and space— from a salt lick popular with elephants in the Central African Republic to 1950s-era New York City. ⁠
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In an age of increased distraction, veteran public radio producers Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett's "The World According to Sound" invites us to reclaim our attention with an escape into sound waves and an unadulterated focus on listening.⁠
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There will be two showtimes at 4pm and 7pm EST.

** Please note: For attendees with noise sensitivity, be advised that the show features moments of intense sound.⁠
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Claim your free tickets now: https://bit.ly/wats-fchi

With fall right around the corner, here are a few humanities events around Atlanta to explore during September!

9/8-9/10 - The Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and the UGA Performing Arts Center welcomes Beninese musician Angélique Kidjo for a class session, studio recording, and concert. All events are free and open to all, though concert tickets are required.

Learn more: https://calendar.uga.edu/event/delta-visiting-chair-angelique-kidjo-performance

9/15-9/16 - ⁠The Dept. of French and Italian Studies will be hosting a public lecture and graduate student workshop with Prof. Jennifer Bajorek, a scholar of photography, visual culture, and Francophone African and diasporic studies. No RSVP required for the lecture.

9/16 - Join the Georgia Tech Library for a discussion on The Martian Trilogy and the Black science-fiction community of the 1930s. Free and open to the public with event registration.

Register here: https://library.gatech.edu/events/exploring-lost-worlds-john-p-moores-martian-trilogy?source=ecat

9/16 - Atlanta History Center and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize are proud to bring Wil Haygood to Atlanta to discuss his book "The War Within a War." Haygood explores how the Vietnam War became a mirror for the struggle of Black Americans. Open to all, tickets required.

Get tickets: www.atlantahistorycenter.com/event/wil-haygood/

9/2-12/9 - The Emory Cinematheque returns with a retrospective on trailblazing auteur Spike Lee, beginning with a screening of "She's Gotta Have It" (2017). These weekly screenings are free and open to all.

See the full schedule: https://filmandmedia.emory.edu/news/cinematheque/2026-fall-cinematheque.html

9/25 - Join us for an evening filled with music, film, and performances by scholars Courtney A. Bowden, Danilyn Rutherford, Intan Paramaditha, Kirin Narayan, Yasmin Moll, and Su'ad Abdul Khabeer. Roundtable conversation and audience Q&A to follow. Free and open to all.

Register to attend: https://bit.ly/4ghuZVO

Join the Fox Center for our first book launch of the fall semester, celebrating Assistant Professor of Russian Studies Raymond De Luca's new book “And the Cow Burned: Animals and Philosophy in the Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky” (Indiana University Press)!

“And the Cow Burned” is a study of Russian filmmaker’s Andrei Tarkovsky's works that draws on fields like animal studies, ethical philosophy, and film theory. By focusing on different animals throughout, De Luca argues that Tarkovsky's filmography serves as an entry point into animal philosophy and raises important questions about agency, ethics, and power.

De Luca will be joined by Associate Professor of Film & Media Daniel Reynolds for a discussion on this exciting work.

Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to all.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4qG0Kv5
Learn more about the book: iupress.org/9780253074683/and-the-cow-burned/

What does it mean to advocate for the humanities?⁠
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In a new recap, 2025-26 Undergraduate Honors Fellow Olivia Gilbert reflects on her experience representing Emory College and the Fox Center in Washington, D.C. for Humanities Advocacy Day:⁠
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"Humanities Advocacy Day is an experience I will always remember from my time at Emory and I hope to return in the coming years. As a humanities student now pursuing a PhD and a career in the humanities, I felt empowered and inspired by my fellow delegates and the experiences I had on Capitol Hill."⁠
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Read the full recap now: https://fchi.emory.edu/news-events/news-articles/humanities-advocacy-day.html

Welcome back! It's a new semester at the Fox Center, and we're excited to bring together scholars, writers, and artists for a range of free events and programs. Here's a preview of what's coming up this fall:
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9/16 - Book Launch: "And the Cow Burned" by Raymond De Luca, Asst. Prof. Russian Studies. 3pm in the Center for Ethics. Open to all.

RSVP to attend:⁠ https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/CCJhdjbktT
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9/22 - CMBC Lecture: "Attention Studies: Configuring a New 'Interdisciplinary Discipline'" by Marion Thain (). 4pm in Math & Science Center, Room 208. Open to all, no RSVP required.⁠
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10/8 - The World According to Sound: An Immersive Audio Experience. Two showtimes: 4pm & 7pm in Emory Student Center Multi-Purpose Room 4. Open to all.⁠

Claim tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1997498958155?aff=oddtdtcreator
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11/9 - Book Launch: "Ascetic Images" by Achille Castaldo, Asst. Prof. Italian Studies. 4pm in the Center for Ethics. Open to the Emory community only.⁠

RSVP to attend:⁠ https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/1sEx9TcxTC
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11/19 - Habitat Keynote Lecture by acclaimed novelist Amitav Ghosh. 4pm in the Jones Room, Woodruff Library. Open to all, but limited capacity.⁠

Register now: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/sdYAve9cW9
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12/7 - Book Launch: "Collecting Antiquity in Modern China: Artifacts and Their Afterlives" by Guangchen Chen, Asst. Prof. Chinese and Comparative Literature. 4pm in the Center for Ethics. Open to all.⁠

RSVP to attend:⁠ https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/fgBtqQcvxf

📣 The Fox Center is excited to announce our 2026-27 Habitat Fellows! Over this academic year, our Fellows will be a part of an interdisciplinary community as their research explores how humans interact with their surroundings amid environmental crises and technological change.

Faculty Fellows:
* Paul Buchholz, German Studies
* Lydia Fort, Theater Studies
* Roxani Margariti, MESAS
* Harsh*ta Kamath, MESAS

URC-Fox Faculty Fellow:
* Geovani Ramírez, English

Visiting Faculty Fellows:
* Yanni Loukissas, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Georgia Institute of Technology
* Cristian Padilla Romero, Liberal Studies, Mercer University
* Kathryn Wilson, History, Georgia State University

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows:
* Melanie Ball, Architecture
* Yandong Li, Cinema and Media Studies

N.E.H. Postdoctoral Fellow in Poetics:
* Grace Hayes, English

Dissertation Completion Fellows:
* Nathan Goldberg, Art History
* Hayley Roy, History
* Anmol Sahini, English

Undergraduate Humanities Honors Fellows:
* Francisca Bravo Tizza, Human Health
* Emma Faz, Classics/History
* Hannah Hansford, Arabic
* Diya Hebbar, Spanish
* Leilani Hoff, Anthropology and Human Biology
* Ethan Kim, English and Creative Writing
* Anissa Patel, Environmental Science (Social Science & Policy)
* Cabot Postol, History
* Jaanaki Radhakrishnan, Anthropology and Religion
* Giselle Salazar, Anthropology
* William Shan, History
* Eloise So, History/English
* Hannah Xu, Ancient Mediterranean Studies
* Lauren Yee, Religion

Learn more about our Habitat Fellows and their projects: https://fchi.emory.edu/news-events/news-articles/habitat-fellows-announcement.html

Learn more about our Undergraduate Fellows and their projects: https://fchi.emory.edu/news-events/news-articles/2026-27-undergraduate-honors-fellows.html

Congratulations to 2025–26 Life/Story Fellow Héctor Alvarez on the Chicago premiere of his play "The School of Memory"!

Developed during his fellowship at the Fox Center, the production examines historical memory and forgetting through the story of Héctor's paternal great-grandfather, whose life was cut short during the Spanish Civil War.

Héctor credits the Fox fellowship community with helping shape the play: "I’m so indebted and grateful to [the Fox Center] for allowing me the time to work on this project. The feedback directly shaped the play, and I’m so honored I got to develop it with the community of fellows."

Learn more: https://www.theatre-y.com/the-school-of-memory
Revisit our Fellow Focus series with Héctor: https://fchi.emory.edu/news-events/news-articles/fellow-focus-hector.html

Last but not least, the Fox Center is pleased to spotlight 2025-26 Undergraduate Humanities Honors Fellow Eunjae Thompson.
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Eunjae's senior thesis traced the life of Saartjie Baartman, a young Khoisan woman who was trafficked into Europe in 1810 and assigned the immortal identity as the so-called “Hottentot Venus.” In this interview, Eunjae discusses both their project and their next steps after graduation.⁠
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When asked what the most rewarding part of the Fox fellowship was for them, Eunjae had this to say:⁠
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"The camaraderie has certainly been the most rewarding for me. It has been a privilege to work alongside such brilliant thinkers and mentors from whom I've learned so much. The emphasis on diverse humanistic projects and perspectives has even made a simple visit to the Carlos museum here on campus incredibly meaningful."⁠
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Congratulations, Eunjae! Visit the http://bit.ly/4vEj7T5 to read the full interview.

Juneteenth, otherwise known as “Emancipation Day” or “Freedom Day,” is a day to remember and celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

If you are in Atlanta, there are a variety of ways to celebrate in and around town:

June 19-21: Come on down to Piedmont Park for the 14th annual Juneteenth parade & music festival! While the festival will host three full days of activities and vendors, the parade will take place on the 20th at 10 am. Visit https://bit.ly/4aURM6v for more information.

June 19, all day: The Hapeville Depot Museum will be hosting special programing in celebration of the holiday. All activities are free and open to the public. For a posted schedule, see https://bit.ly/4ovJUOD.

June 19, 11 am: Join the City of Roswell for a free Black Experience Tour at Barrington Hall. Learn about the enslaved experience in Roswell. For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/4eszbj8.

June 19, 6 pm: Enjoy a free screening of “Maynard,” a documentary about Atlanta’s first African-American mayor, at Historic Oakland Cemetery. There will be food trucks and kids activities as part of their “Finally, Friday” series.