Associate director’s annual letter

This past year, one filled with ongoing uncertainty, has only deepened my belief that the humanities are the foundation for understanding and responding to the crises of our times. During the pandemic I have found myself relying upon the many diverse forms of the humanities—helping me to better navigate questions about where we are, how we got here, and where we are headed.  

While this was an unprecedented year for all of us and our planet, we at the Oregon Humanities Center (OHC) were driven to be part of the solution. Grounded in our mission to promote and strengthen the humanities, and with the strong support of the OHC’s vibrant intellectual community, we were able to continue to operate at full capacity even while working remotely.  

Robin Morris Collin
Robin Morris Collin, Norma Paulus J. Professor of Law at Willamette University College of Law, spoke on “The Geography of Injustice and the Ecology of Reparations” on December 8, 2020 as the Colin Ruagh Thomas O’Fallon Lecturer.

In 2020-21, the OHC engaged broader and larger audiences with our online public programs that included a five-part lecture series on “Climate Justice,” scholarly talks by faculty and graduate students on their new research and books, and our UO Today interview program that can be found on YouTube

Kory Russel
Kory Russel, an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon, was a guest on UO Today. He discussed his work on Container-Based Sanitation solutions in the global south, and talked about the positive impact the solution has on mitigating climate change. He also described the work of the Landscape4Humanity initiative that has partnered with SquareOne Villages in Eugene to enhance transitional housing living spaces.

or as a podcast. We found that even with Zoom fatigue, the number of our supporters grew overall. During this time, the OHC’s 22 faculty and graduate student fellows, representing 12 UO departments, worked tirelessly on advancing the humanities even under extremely challenging conditions. (Complete lists of the awardees and their projects can be found on our website at: ohc.uoregon.edu/fellowships.)  

Support for the OHC was demonstrated not only through excellent audience attendance, but through financial giving. The Fall 2020 fundraising campaign was a success with considerable thanks to Alex and Amy Haugland’s generous matching gift which inspired others to give. Information about how you can help support the humanities can be found on page 5 or on our website at ohc.uoregon.edu/give. 

Naomi Oreskes
Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, spoke on “Can Science Be Saved?” on March 12, 2021 as the Cressman Lecturer.

As we look forward to this coming year, we are busy preparing to present another five-part lecture series centered around the theme “Imagining Futures.” Given the many challenges we are all currently facing, we selected a theme to help guide us as we move forward together. For a fuller description of the series, see page two of this newsletter. More information about our upcoming public programs will be available in early fall on our website and in the next newsletter. 

The OHC community has been key to sustaining and grounding me throughout this past year. While I do not know what the future will hold, my hope is that the OHC’s efforts have had and will continue to have a positive impact on you as well.—Jena Turner