Day 2 | The Humanities, the University, and the World: Panel Discussions

April 16–17, 2026 | A conference celebrating the humanities and 45 years of the Whitney Humanities Center

The Whitney Humanities Center marks 45 years since its founding with a reflection on what makes the humanities and the university essential today. Throughout its history, the WHC has been a home for vibrant interdisciplinary exchange. It is a place where ideas cross boundaries freely and where interpretation is practiced not only as a scholarly pursuit, but as one of the most human ways we make sense of our world and connect with one another. The Humanities, the University, and the World honors that legacy while looking ahead.

The conference will open April 16 with “The Art of the Humanities,” an afternoon celebration of creativity and literary talent at Yale, with an opening performance by Shades of Yale.

April 17 | Panel Discussions
The second day of the conference brings leading thinkers and public intellectuals to Yale for a series of panel discussions examining the role of the humanities in shaping lives, institutions, and global society. At the same time, they will foreground the university itself as a vital institution—one that contributes to the public good not only through research and teaching, but through its commitment to critical inquiry and cultural understanding.

Panelists include Peter Brooks, Wendy Brown, Roderick Ferguson, Jennifer Frey, Amitav Ghosh, Simon Gikandi, Lisa Lowe, Hlonipha Mokoena, Roosevelt Montás, Christopher Newfield, Claudia Rankine, and Moira Weigel.

Panel Schedule

9:15  WELCOME

Cajetan Iheka, Director of the Whitney Humanities Center, Yale University
Marc Robinson, Dean of Humanities, Yale University

9:30–11:00  THE UNIVERSITY: PURPOSE AND PROMISE 

Roosevelt Montás, Bard College
Peter Brooks, Yale University
Jennifer Frey, University of Tulsa 
Moira Weigel, Harvard University

11:15–12:45  THE HUMANITIES: GLOBAL SCALE 

Hlonipha Mokoena, University of the Witwatersrand
Simon Gikandi, Princeton University
Lisa Lowe, Yale University

12:45–1:45  LUNCH BREAK

2:00–3:00  A CONVERSATION WITH AMITAV GHOSH

Amitav Ghosh, novelist, essayist, and scholar
Roderick Ferguson, Yale University

3:30–5:00  THE HUMANITIES: TODAY AND TOMORROW  

Wendy Brown, Institute for Advanced Study
Christopher Newfield, Independent Social Research Foundation
Claudia Rankine, New York University

Looking for Day 1? Learn more about the Yale Showcase