Faculty Research in the News

What role do the humanities play In a world challenged by climate change, rising authoritarianism, censorship, racism, wars and collapsed economies?

The humanities and their forms of historical, visual and cultural literacy are critical to understanding and addressing the human experience and the planet’s survival, says Sara Guyer, dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities in UC Berkeley’s College of Letters and Science.

She should know: Guyer is director of the prestigious World Humanities Report, a major...

Niklaus Largier is Chair in the department of Comparative Literature, is a professor in the departments of German and Comparative Literature, and is affiliated with the Programs in Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, and the Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory.

His scholarship covers an extensive range of interests, including the intersections of literature, philosophy, theology, and other fields of knowledge within medieval and early modern German literature. Professor Largier’s work delves into topics such as ascetic practices, eroticism, and the literary imagination,...

Assistant Professor Grace Erny in the Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies has recently published groundbreaking research offering fresh perspectives on ancient Mediterranean civilizations. Her studies draw on extensive archaeological surveys in Greece and Crete, revealing unexpected patterns of settlement and industrial activity in antiquity.

One study, focusing on the Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS), highlights the remarkable discovery of ancient industrial activity on the islet of Praso near Athens. Erny and her team uncovered evidence of pottery and tile...

Spanish speakers in the United States, among linguists and non-linguists, have been denigrated for the way that they speak, says UC Berkeley sociolinguist Justin Davidson. It's part of the country's long history of scrutiny of non-monolingual English speakers, he says, dating back to the early 20th century.

"It's groups in power, its discourses and collective communities, that sort of socially...