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Clark University
Alice Coonley Higgins Institute
for Arts and Humanities

Research Collaboratives

Research collaboratives

Research Collaboratives

Research collaboratives supported by the Higgins Institute provide a vibrant platform for fostering diverse research endeavors. By bringing together scholars from varied disciplines, these collaboratives encourage innovative and interdisciplinary exploration of complex issues. They serve as incubators for new ideas, facilitate collaborative projects, and create opportunities for public engagement. Through workshops, lectures, and material support for collaborative research, these networks support the development of cutting-edge scholarship that addresses both historical and contemporary challenges. Our research collaboratives empower faculty and students alike to pursue meaningful inquiries, driving intellectual growth and contributing to the broader academic and public discourse.

Our Current Research Collaboratives

The Higgins Institute currently sponsors and supports three research collaboratives. The Digital Humanities collaborative merges technology with humanities research, leveraging digital tools for the study of history, language and literature, the arts, and culture. Early Modernists Unite connects scholars of medieval and early modern Europe and America, offering a public lecture series titled Roots of Everything that links historical insights to contemporary issues. The Environmental Humanities collaborative explores the intersection of environment, culture, and society, addressing pressing global climate challenges through an arts and humanities lens. Together, these collaboratives drive forward-thinking research, public engagement, and dynamic teaching practices.

Our Research Collaborative Membership Policy

Membership in the Higgins Institute Research Collaboratives is open to all Clark faculty members and faculty members in the HECCMA Consortium. While our primary focus in our research collaboratives is on faculty development and support, we recognize the importance of inclusive academic growth. Therefore, we offer selective access to our events, programs, and resources to Clark staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students. This access is designed to enhance their educational experience, promote mentorship opportunities, and encourage their participation in scholarly activities. Our goal is to create a vibrant intellectual community that benefits from diverse perspectives and contributions, while maintaining a strong emphasis on faculty-led research and innovation.

Digital Humanities

The landscape of academic research is evolving rapidly, shaped by advances in technology and new methodologies that challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries. At the forefront of this transformation is the Digital Humanities Research Collaborative, a dynamic initiative that brings together scholars from diverse fields to explore the intersection of digital technology and the humanities. This collaborative is not just a response to the changing nature of research; it is a proactive effort to redefine how we understand, interpret, and share human culture and knowledge in the digital age.

Bridging Disciplines, Innovating Methods

The Digital Humanities Research Collaborative is a vibrant community of scholars from a range of disciplines, including literature, languages, interactive media, music, art, history, computer and data science, and media studies. The collaborative seeks to harness the power of digital tools to ask new questions, open new lines of inquiry, and push the boundaries of traditional humanities research. By integrating computational methods, data analysis, and digital media, the collaborative is fostering innovative approaches that are reshaping the way we engage with texts, artifacts, and cultural phenomena.

Key Areas of Research

The work of the collaborative spans several key areas of research, each contributing to the broader goal of advancing the digital humanities. Recent workshops in our “_hello world: digital research in the arts & humanities” series have explored topics such as minimal computing approaches with Alex Gil (Yale); textual analysis, where scholars use digital tools to analyze large corpora of texts; data visualization, using innovative methods to represent complex data in ways that are both accessible and insightful; and databases, including concepts such as structured data, SQL and querying techniques. By leveraging computational techniques, researchers can uncover insights that were previously inaccessible, offering new perspectives on familiar texts and uncovering hidden connections between them.

This fall, we are embarking on an initiative aimed at expanding the cross-disciplinary arts curriculum with new technological resources and techniques. For the next four years and with the support of an external grant, a faculty-led interactive arts group will explore new media and technology in creative work, research, and teaching/learning. Faculty in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and the Becker School of Design and Technology will play a determining role, but participation will be open to all Clark faculty. The initial focus of this group (and the grant) will be Extended Reality/Virtual Reality (XR/VR).

Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Approach

What sets the Digital Humanities Research Collaborative apart is its commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. By convening experts from different fields, the collaborative fosters an environment where ideas can cross pollinate and new approaches can emerge. This interdisciplinary approach not only enriches individual projects but also helps to create a more integrated and holistic understanding of the humanities in the digital age.

Engaging with the Public

In addition to its research, the collaborative is committed to public engagement and education. Through workshops, seminars, and digital exhibits, the collaborative aims to make its work accessible to a broader audience. By sharing their findings and methodologies, the collaborative is helping to democratize access to knowledge and empowering others to explore the digital humanities.

A Vision for the Future

The Digital Humanities Research Collaborative is more than a research group; it is a vision for the future of humanities scholarship. By embracing the possibilities of digital technology and fostering a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment, the collaborative is not only advancing our understanding of the past and present but also shaping the future of research and education. In doing so, it is ensuring that the humanities remain a vital and dynamic part of the academic landscape in the 21st century.

Current members of the Digital Humanities Research Collaborative include:

To inquire about joining the collaborative, please contact Matt Malsky, Professor of Visual and Performing Arts and Director of the Higgins Institute at Clark.

Early Modernists Unite

Our Early Modernists Unite research collaborative convenes scholars of the arts and humanities disciplines from across campus to explore the late medieval and early modern eras (approximately 1300-1800) in Europe, the Americas, and beyond. The group includes historians, literary and language scholars, art and music historians, philosophers, political scientists, and cultural theorists, all of whom are deeply invested in understanding the complexities of the past and its enduring impact on the present.

The collaborative’s mission is to foster research and teaching that explores the intricate cultural, social, political, and intellectual landscapes of the medieval and early modern eras. The group meets regularly to share new and ongoing work in a spirit of collegial, interdisciplinary inquiry and discussion. Often scholars from other local institutions join in as guests. Recent topics have included Renaissance landscape and statuary design, native listening in New England sermon culture, intersections of race, emotions, and disability in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century texts, and the demimonde of eighteenth-century Paris.

A key component of Early Modernists Unite is its commitment to integrating these scholarly concerns in the classroom. Faculty members bring their research into the classroom, creating courses that engage students with the rich tapestry of the past while also drawing connections to modern-day issues. This approach not only enriches the academic experience for students but also underscores the relevance of historical inquiry to understanding current events and cultural phenomena.

One of the collaborative’s most innovative initiatives is its public lecture series, Roots of Everything. This series highlights the many ways in which aspects of modern existence have their origins in the early modern world, offering the public a chance to see the past’s influence on contemporary life. The lectures are designed to bridge the gap between scholarly research and public interest, making complex historical topics engaging to a broad audience. Recent lectures have covered a diverse array of subjects, including ongoing debates about gun control, the cultural fascination with zombies and the undead, and the evolution of self-portraiture from the Renaissance to the age of the selfie. Each lecture connects historical analysis with present-day concerns, revealing how the issues and ideas that shaped early modern society continue to resonate today.

Through these public engagements, Early Modernists Unite not only disseminates scholarly knowledge but also fosters a deeper understanding of how the past informs the present. Through all of its activities, the collaborative builds faculty synergy, encourages innovative approaches, scrutinizes methodologies, and advances academic knowledge. The collaborative is dedicated to showing that history is not merely a series of events relegated to dusty archives but a living, dynamic force that continues to shape our world.

Current members of Early Modernists Unite include:

To inquire about joining the collaborative, please contact John Garton, Associate Professor of Visual and Performing Arts at Clark.

Environmental Humanities

The pressing environmental challenges of our time require not just scientific understanding, but also creative and cultural responses that can inspire change and foster deeper connections with the natural world. The Environmental Humanities Research Collaborative is a pioneering initiative that brings together scholars and creative artists to explore the intersections of environmental issues with art, culture, and the humanities. By combining creative expression with critical inquiry, this collaborative seeks to engage diverse audiences, to provoke thought, and to inspire action on environmental issues.

A Fusion of Disciplines

At its core, the Environmental Humanities Research Collaborative is about bridging the gap between disciplines that are often seen as distinct. It convenes researchers from fields such as literature, languages, visual arts, performing arts, philosophy, media studies, to work with the Clark University scholars in the social sciences and STEM fields who have confronted the climate crisis through research, teaching, and engagement across the world. By fostering dialogue and collaboration across these disciplines, the collaborative creates a space where new ideas can emerge, and traditional boundaries can be transcended.

This interdisciplinary approach is crucial for addressing the complex and multifaceted nature of environmental challenges. By integrating the analytical tools of the humanities with the creative power of the arts, the collaborative offers fresh perspectives on environmental issues and explores new ways of connecting with the public.

Engaging with Communities

The collaborative is committed to engaging with communities beyond academia. Through public art installations, community workshops, and educational programs, the collaborative works to bring its research and creative projects to a broader audience. This engagement is crucial for fostering a wider appreciation of the arts and humanities as vital tools for understanding and addressing environmental challenges.

Imagining a Sustainable Future

The Environmental Humanities Research Collaborative is more than a research initiative. It is a space for imagining and creating a more sustainable future. By harnessing the power of artistic and humanistic approaches, the collaborative is helping to shape new ways of thinking about the environment and our place within it. Through its innovative research and creative practices, the collaborative is making a vital contribution to the ongoing effort to build a more just and sustainable world. Especially at this moment with the announcement of the new School of Climate, Environment and Society at Clark, the deeper integration of the environmental humanities within the conversations about climate recognizes that environmental crisis has material dimensions (the burning of fossil fuels, the loss of habitat and species) and, just as crucially, cultural dimensions (the concepts, symbolic meanings, and political institutions that have made the crisis possible). The environmental humanities ask us to examine the very structure of everyday life in the current era—to reimagine modernity.

Current members of the Environmental Humanities Research Collaborative include:

To inquire about joining the collaborative, please contact Matt Malsky, Professor of Visual and Performing Arts and Director of the Higgins Institute at Clark.

Contact Information

Alice Coonley Higgins Institute for Arts and Humanities

Mailing Address
Campus Location & Hours

  • Dana Commons, Second Floor
    36 Maywood Street
    Worcester, MA 01603

  • Monday through Friday
    9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Please note that the Institute operates remotely on Monday and Friday.