The Humanities Center (HC) will soon mark a significant milestone in its history. For a decade, it has recognized the wide-ranging scholarly and creative achievements of our academic community. The Center’s 10th annual Books in the Humanities reception honors an impressive 46 works authored or edited by 45 Syracuse University faculty, staff and students published in 2024.

The showcase event—a cornerstone of the University's commitment to humanities research and creative expression—will celebrate a collection of books exploring a rich tapestry of themes. All are welcome to peruse the books and even meet some of the authors.

Time: April 30, 2025, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Location: Strasser Legacy Room, 220 Eggers

As a collection, the volumes span disciplines and subject matters, offering intriguing intersections when considered through five thematic perspectives: culture and community, journeys and language, popular culture, history and art and poetry.

View the full catalog of books here.

Culture and Community

Prevalent throughout this year’s volumes are works exploring varied cultural identities and community experiences. Highlights include books authored by three former Humanities Center Faculty Fellows: Azra Hromadzic's “Riverine Citizenship: A Bosnian City in Love with the River”, which examines a Bosnian city's relationship with its river and Mariaelena Huambachano's “Recovering Our Ancestral Foodways: Indigenous Traditions as a Recipe for Living Well,” investigating Indigenous food traditions in Peru and New Zealand. Jenn M. Jackson's “Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism” celebrates often overlooked intellectual and societal contributions by women of color.

Journeys and Language

Works exploring mobility and linguistic diversity feature prominently, including Christopher Green's “The Ghanaian Linguistics Nexus” and Susan Thomas's “Indebted Mobilities: Indian Youth, Migration, and the Internationalizing University,” which examines Indian youth migration in relation to higher education systems. Apple An’s anthology “28 Voices: A Nonfiction Anthology Vol. 1” captures diverse perspectives on life's journeys across cultural contexts. “Multimodality across Epistemologies in Second Language Research,” co-edited by Amanda Brown (also a former HC faculty fellow), examines second- and foreign-language teaching, learning and use through the lens of multimodality from different knowledge traditions.

Popular Culture

Contemporary media and cultural phenomena are analyzed in works like John M. Jordan's “The Rise of the Algorithms: How YouTube and TikTok Conquered the World” and in an edited volume by David C. Oh, “Korean Pop Culture Beyond Asia: Race and Reception.” Steven Cohan's “On Audrey Hepburn: An Opinionated Guide” offers fresh insights on the iconic actress's cultural significance.

History

Historical perspectives range widely, from Dennis Romano's comprehensive “Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City” to Jeffrey Stonecash's “The Transformation of the Republican Party” and Brian Taylor's accessible “Russian Politics: A Very Short Introduction.” “Reluctant Race Men: Black Challenges to the Practice of Race in Nineteenth-Century America,” by former Humanities Center Faculty Fellow Joan Bryant, examines how Black reformers from the 1820s to the 1920s questioned the concept of race. Christopher DeCorse's “Fringe Archaeology” explores the intersection of archaeological science and popular perceptions.

Art and Poetry

Creative works are well-represented, with poetry collections including Christopher Brunt's “War at Home,” the anthology “Corresponding Voices Vol. 15” edited by Teresita Paniagua and Jules Gibbs and a chapbook by Lyndsey Kelly Weiner called “Occupy Frogs.” Scholarly examinations of artistic traditions include Jonathan K. Nelson's “Risks in Renaissance Art: Production, Purchase, and Reception” and Glenn Peers's “Byzantine Media Subjects.”

Celebrating 10 Years

“As we mark 10 years of celebrating Syracuse University authors in the humanities, broadly conceived, I’d like to say how important it is to come together to recognize one another’s successes,” states Vivian M. May, director of the Humanities Center and CNY Humanities Corridor and professor of women’s and gender studies. “A book can certainly be a labor of love, but it is still a lot of labor! It is so exciting each year to see the impressive range of volumes on display representing a broad cross-section of all the humanities can offer for understanding our complex world and pursuing its possibilities to the fullest. Organizing this annual event is also a labor of love: special thanks are due to the amazing staff team at the Humanities Center and to our long-time partners at the Syracuse University Libraries and the Office of Research. Such partnerships are pivotal to meeting the research needs of our community.”

“Syracuse University Libraries is delighted to partner with the Humanities Center to celebrate the yearly contributions of authors and editors from our Syracuse University faculty, staff and students,” says David Seaman, Dean of Syracuse University Libraries and University Librarian. “Whether providing research support, promoting the titles, or ensuring that the books make their way to the SU Libraries collection, supporting Books in the Humanities engages the broader community with the resources and talent that are available in our own backyard.”

A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi states, “The Books in the Humanities celebration honors both the scholarly dedication and creative vision of faculty across the University, while highlighting how these works serve as bridges between communities, connecting academic inquiry with today's grand challenges.”

This annual event further establishes Syracuse University's rich traditions in humanities scholarship that addresses pressing issues through rigorous research and creative exploration. The Humanities Center looks ahead to its next decade of supporting research and creative work that collectively contributes to deepening and expanding the intellectual landscape on campus and beyond.

The Center encourages any current Syracuse University staff, student or faculty member releasing a book in copyright year 2025 to complete its author survey for consideration in next spring’s celebration.

The Humanities Center, located in the Tolley Humanities Building, supports humanities research, showcases the humanities as a public good through dynamic partnerships and builds community around diverse forms of inquiry and engagement.