University of Calgary

Research Initiatives

In its 34-year history at the University of Calgary, the Calgary Institute for the Humanities (CIH) has sponsored targeted research initiatives by faculty at the University of Calgary who locate their projects at the Institute usually in seminars and conferences, as well as research projects that are deliberately sponsored and hosted by the CIH.

Research fostered by the CIH has to do with the understanding that the humanities are not only an academic way of framing inquiry about humans, the humanities function in positive roles for the larger society

  • as a means for understanding the past, present and future
  • they assist in reflecting on values and heritage
  • they offer perspectives on issues impacting individuals and their communities
  • they provide explanatory models and nuanced interpretations of complex human questions

In order to optimize its resources and be a hub of intellectual inquiry that takes best advantages of what humanities research can offer to the academy and larger society, CIH currently sponsors two long-term strategic research projects,