Humanities

Explore the intellectual and creative pursuits within philosophy, history, literature, and the fine arts at Harvard.

At Harvard’s Peabody Museum, Photos Reimagine Iranian History

Artist Azadeh Akhlaghi reconstructs moments of Iranian political upheaval in a series of meticulously staged images.

by Olivia Farrar

Harvard professor Sophia Roosth examines how synthetic biology is remaking life

Historian of science Sophia Roosth on resurrecting extinct species.

Harvard-based Sawyer seminar discusses hearing through the body

Through cat telephones and electronic dance music, scholars discuss the physical basis of sound.

Harvard professor Sarah Richardson presents a history of the sex chromosomes

Sarah Richardson presents a history of the sex chromosomes in science and culture.

by Katherine Xue

Nuclear weapons are incompatible with the U.S. constitution and democracy

“Out of ratio” weapons are essentially ungovernable.

by Craig Lambert

Massachusetts General Hospital's resident mummy undergoes restoration and study

MGH's resident mummy undergoes restoration and a medical exam.

Virgil Encyclopedia in English

Two Harvard classics professors create the first Virgil Encyclopedia in English.

by Erin O’Donnell

Adam Kirsch reviews Lawrence Buell on the Great American Novel

A literary critic on the Great American Novel

by Adam Kirsch

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

by Jennifer L. Roberts

A tour of the reimagined Fogg art museum

A central courtyard and a glass roof transmit natural light to the heart of the museum.

Facing declining enrollments, the humanities reinvent themselves

Facing declining enrollments, the humanities seek to reinvent themselves.