Description:

Research that engages with communities beyond the academy often involves serious ethical considerations on both a theoretical and practical level. How can scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences create meaningful, mutually beneficial community partnerships? How should ethical considerations inform research aims and outcomes? How can those within the academy manage competing institutional expectations and timelines? This free, virtual event will bring together three panelists from leading public humanities initiatives to share their perspectives on the topic of ethical community-engaged work. Moderated by Ruth Curry of Northwestern’s Center for Civic Engagement, this discussion will offer diverse perspectives and strategies useful to anyone who is exploring or pursuing community-engaged work.

Panelists

Morris (Dino) Robinson, Jr. is the Production Manager at Northwestern University Press. Previously, he served in creative positions in advertising, and later operated Robinson Design. He holds a BA degree in Communication Design and a minor in African American Studies. Dino is the founder of Shorefront Legacy Center, an organization he pioneered in 1995. Within Shorefront, he has authored books, facilitated subject specific speaking engagements and exhibits, and consults on community-based archiving and organizing  programs. Throughout the last 20 years, Dino built a collection measuring over 500 linear feet, representing the local Black communities on Chicago’s suburban North Shore.

Dr. Mónica Félix is the Executive Director of the Chicago Cultural Alliance (CCA), a consortium of over 40 Chicago-area cultural heritage museums, institutes, and historical societies representing over 30 different cultures. Dr. Felix’s previous nonprofit leadership experience includes serving as the first Chief Administrative Officer of the American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA, 2019-2021). She also served as the Museum & Development Director of the DANK Haus German American Cultural Center in Chicago’s Lincoln Square (2017-2019) where she oversaw exhibit curation, development, and cross-cultural programming. She received her PhD in Comparative Literature (Russian/German) from the University of Chicago in 2017.

Dr. Bradley Dubos is the current Public Humanities Fellow at the New-York Historical Society, where he is at work on a traveling exhibit and educational initiative titled Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West. Brad recently completed his PhD in English at Northwestern University. His research and teaching focus on pre-1900 American literatures, religions, and placemaking, particularly through the works of Native American and African American poets. In Chicago, he also contributed to a public humanities project aimed at improving tribal communities’ access to collections at the Newberry Library.

Moderator

Dr. Ruth Curry is a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern’s Center for Civic Engagement, where she directs the Center’s programming for graduate students. She has launched a number of initiatives to support public scholarship and to connect students with the local community, including a practicum program for humanities PhDs, a public writing workshop, and a graduate assistantship to support Chicago-area Black archives.

This is an online event; registration is required. Presented by the Public Humanities Research Workshop of the Kaplan Humanities Institute.