The VCU Humanities Research Center advances humanistic inquiry, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and amplifies the impact of humanities scholarship within and beyond VCU. As a university-wide center, we support individual and collaborative research while cultivating scholarly excellence dedicated to improving the human condition.
The HRC is interdisciplinary, collaborative, global, and public-facing—generating knowledge across disciplines, promoting impactful research by diverse faculty, students, and community partners, engaging colleagues and institutions worldwide, and disseminating scholarship through talks, colloquia, and strategic outreach. Our work directly supports VCU's Quest 2028 priorities: research excellence, student success, and thriving communities.
We invite you to get in touch with us about our research, events, opportunities, and more!
Research
We support research that crosses traditional boundaries, connecting literature, history, philosophy, and cultural studies with contemporary issues and emerging fields.
Programs
Through lectures, workshops, and symposia, we share cutting-edge humanities research with broader audiences and foster intellectual dialogue.
Resources
Our center bridges academic research with community needs, creating meaningful partnerships that benefit both scholars and the Richmond metropolitan area.
Year in Review, 2024-2025
- 36 Publications Supported
- 26 Public Lectures
- 38 External Grants Submitted
News
Aug. 26, 2026
VCU’s third annual Humanities Week to explore the theme of repair
Hosted by the Humanities Research Center, the Sept. 8-11 program examines reckoning with history and moving toward healing.
Aug. 12, 2026
VCU offering new minor in Native American and Indigenous studies
Debuting this fall in the College of Humanities and Sciences, the curriculum reflects growing ties to Virginia’s tribal nations.
Event Spotlight
From The Wiz to Wakanda: Afrofuturism in Pop Culture
Meet VCU Authors Fall 2025
The speaker for this event was Grace Gipson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of African American Studies at VCU and author of From The Wiz to Wakanda: Afrofuturism in Pop Culture.
On Native Ground Series: Transborder Nahua Futurisms
Federico Cuatlacuatl
The speaker for this event was Federico Cuatlacuatl, Associate Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Virginia.