Events

CCA @ 40

CCA 40th anniversary logo. Features the letters CCA with a red number 40 looping through them

The CCA is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026-27.

We’ve planned a series of events to mark this milestone: a symposium on the state of the humanities on November 19, 2026; a lecture on artificial intelligence by Alondra Nelson of the Institute for Advanced Study on March 25, 2027; and an end-of-year roundtable on the history of the CCA on May 5, 2027.

First up is “What We Talk About When We Talk About the Humanities” (Thursday, November 19 from 3:30 - 5 pm, reception to follow).

The roundtable will feature leading Rutgers scholars in four of the disciplines most closely discussed in the recent Vanderbilt Report on the Humanities: Leslie Alexander (History), Elisabeth Camp (Philosophy), Siobhán Cully (Anthropology), and Heather Love (English).

Please register for the roundtable here if you plan on attending.

The Vanderbilt Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences was released in April of this year. Jointly commissioned by the Chancellors of Vanderbilt and Washington Universities, the report convened ten scholars to undertake the herculean task of assessing the humanities and interpretive social sciences. The result met with widespread media attention and intense scrutiny. Reactions ranged widely, from those who think the report is telling important truths to those who see it as a politically pernicious brief for more cuts to the humanities. Whatever your view, its impact on the national conversation has been profound.

What We Talk About When We Talk About the Humanities poster. A roundtable on the Vanderbilt Report. Presented by Leslie Alexander from the History Department, Elisabeth Camp from the Philosophy Department, Siobhan Cully from the Anthropology Department, Heather Love from the English Department, and moderated by Colin Jaeger, former CCA Director, from the English department. Poster features the CCA 40th anniversary logo. Roundtable takes place on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at the Center for Cultural Analysis, Room 6051, Academic Building West, 15 Seminary Place. 3:30pm to 5:00pm, reception to follow.