Bimensual Meeting - Pre-Texts Regional Coordinators
2025-04-05 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York)
Overview: The Weavers Meeting on February 8th focused on updates and improvements to the Pre-texts website. Key points included the addition of a navigation section by country to highlight local workshops and the implementation of a password-protected manual for the Pre-text methodology. The team discussed the need for a column on the workshop page to list facilitators and their contact information, including a hyperlink to their profiles. They also emphasized the importance of making weavers the primary point of contact for training and certification, especially for international and online facilitators. Future meetings will be held to finalize these changes and address other website enhancements.

From text to talk: Creative Teaching Conversations with Pre-Texts
2025-04-10 14:00 - 16:00

Call for Participation – Student Wellbeing Conference
2025-04-15 08:00 - 2025-04-16 17:00
Join us in L’Aquila on April 15–16, 2025, for the national conference Student Wellbeing at University: Individual, Collective, and Organizational Dimensions, organized by GEO (University of Udine) and CRUI. The event will explore how universities can support student success, inclusion, and mental health through services, mentoring, space design, and community dialogue. Participation is possible in person or online. More info

HARVARD BOOK STORE PRESENTS: Judith Butler
2025-04-23 18:00 - 20:00
Wed, Apr 23, 6:00 PM, at The Brattle Theater, Cambridge, MA.
Harvard Book Store welcomes Judith Butler—global icon and author of several books, including Gender Trouble; Bodies That Matter; The Psychic Life of Power; and The Force of Nonviolence—to celebrate the paperback release of their book Who’s Afraid of Gender?, a bold, essential account of how a fear of gender is fueling reactionary politics around the world. They will be joined in conversation by Doris Sommer—the Ira and Jewell Williams Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and founder of “Cultural Agents,” an Initiative at Harvard and an NGO dedicated to reviving the civic mission of the Humanities.
More info

Camino por Colombia: Walk with the Rythm of Waves
2025-06-03 08:00 - 2025-06-07 17:00
FIRST EDITION

Magical Nuquí, Chocó, is the convening point for this first of many paths to travel as pilgrims throughout Colombia, walking to discover ourselves and each other. The heart of the country’s Pacific coast invites us to explore breathtaking landscapes and to connect deeply with the world around us. Walking to the rhythm of the ocean and of residents who live in harmony with nature is an opportunity to reflect, and to rediscover our connections with nature and with people.
A journey of discovery:

This is the first of many paths we will travel together across Colombia. At Caminos por Colombia, we invite you to reconnect with the world and nature as you immerse yourself in the beauty and diversity of our land. This journey will open new perspectives and strengthen your connection with the environment and the people who call it home.
Contact us: Nicolás Moreno, +57 3164724069 info@colombiasky.com
Double Acommodation $949 USD
Single room supplement $249 USD
Bogotá – Nuquí ticket $194 USD APPROX.

The biennial conference of STS Italia – The Italian Society for Social Studies of Science and Technology
2025-06-11 08:00 - 2025-06-13 17:00
Pre-texts Protocol Program: an intervention to support the empowerment of women victims of sexual trafficking
The intervention proposes a case study based on the adoption of the Pre-texts Protocol in a protected context for women rescued from sexual slavery. The experience based on cultural stimuli such as reading, art, music has encouraged the active participation and sharing of the autobiographical memory of the participants who, through drawing and dialogue, have faced traumas related to migration experiences. The impacts generated are evaluated in terms of relationship, participation, resilience. The case study provides a reflection on the importance that creative and artistic interventions can also exercise in terms of strengthening mental health, supporting social cohesion also in relation to contexts of extreme urban contexts.

More info!

Welcome New Pilgrims to Nuquí
2025-06-20 08:00 - 2025-06-25 17:00
June 20–25

More than a program, this next pilgrimage will be a space for reflection and connection with ourselves, other people, and the earth we share.. From June 20 to 25, we will gather in Nuquí, Colombia, to move to the rhythm of the sea, the jungle, and the river—a journey where ties emergs naturally. This experience is not about executing projects or intentionally seeking pleasures, but about planting seeds of friendship and memory by looking and listening as we walk together. We invite you to join us. The exceptional photographer who documented the pilot pilgrimage (March 7-11) through his native region offers these reflections: Watch the video!
Join to the next pilgrimage

Pre-Texts Weaves Stories at Universidad Nacional de Colombia
2025-09-23 08:00 - 2025-09-25 17:00
On September 23 and 25, at the Publishing House of the National University of Colombia, Bogotá Campus, we will host a special workshop:
Pre-Texts: A Weave of Stories. This experience will invite participants to discover how words not only inform, but also connect, transform, and build new ways of coming together. We look forward to welcoming you!

Invocations of the Diaspora: A Conversation on the Art of Belonging
2025-09-25 17:00 - 19:15
September 25, 2025 5.00-7.15pm HAA Room 422
Organized by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and History of Art and Architecture Department. Harvard University.
Updates
Two decades ago, migration and diaspora were central topics in critical discourse. Today, a new urgency reinvigorates the diaspora experience. The Art of Belonging explores diaspora as generative of identity, memory, aesthetics, space, and belonging.
Speakers: artists Sandra Gamarra, Tania Bruguera, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, curator Evan Garza, and scholars Nelson Maldonado Torres (UCONN), Doris Sommer, moderated by José Luis Falconi (Art History and Human Rights, UConn) and Patricio del Real (History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University).
Developed in conjunction with the exhibition Three Variations of a Diasporic Landscape, curated by José L. Falconi and on view at DRCLAS until March 2026 to map longing and belonging. Featured artists: Sandra Gamarra, Naomi Gamarra, and Sarah Zapata.

First Seedbed Encounter: A Day of Research, Creativity, and Collaboration
2025-11-05 08:00 - 17:00
1st Institutional Meeting of Agustinian Research Seedbeds 2025The 1st Institutional Meeting of Agustinian Research Seedbeds celebrates the commitment of students and faculty to research, creativity, and innovation across disciplines. This event provides a space for sharing academic projects, exchanging ideas, and strengthening collaboration among research groups within Uniagustiniana.
The program includes the launch of the Short Story Book – VIII Edition, the presentation of the Pre-Texts project, international guest discussions, and a special recognition for outstanding research posters.
📅 Wednesday, November 5, 2025🕗 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

AI and the Human Metaphor
2025-11-10 15:30 - 17:00 | Barker Center, Room 018, Barker Center, Room 018
The Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard presents “AI and the Human Metaphor,” a conversation exploring how artificial intelligence redefines our understanding of the human experience. Featuring Fawwaz Habbal (Harvard University), the event examines the intersections of technology, language, and human identity.
Date: November 10, 2025
Time: 3:30–5:00 PM (ET)
Location: Barker Center, Room 018

Art & AI: A Conversation
2025-11-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Student Organizations Center at Hilles (SOCH), Student Organizations Center at Hilles (SOCH), 59 Shepard St., Cambridge, MA., Cambridge, MA, MA, United States
The Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship, the Office for the Arts, and Blueprints for Arts and Policy invite the Harvard community to Art & AI: A Conversation—an event that brings together over sixteen distinguished experts to explore the intersections of artistic creation and artificial intelligence.
The conversation will take place on November 18, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Student Organizations Center at Hilles (SOCH), 59 Shepard St., Cambridge, MA. Attendees will engage with ideas on how technology and creativity inform and transform each other, shaping the future of art, design, and innovation.

Staging Political Virtue: Plato’s Republic and the Drama of Desire
2025-11-20 16:30 - 18:00 | CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St. S020, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St. S020
November 20, 2025. 4:30PM – 06:00PM CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St. S020
Speaker: Alessandro Carrera, University of Houston
Discussant: Martin Puchner, Harvard University
Plato’s Republic has shaped how we think about politics, ethics, and justice for more than two millennia. In On Political Virtue: Plato’s Republic and the Politics of Desire, the Italian philosopher Carlo Sini reinterprets this foundational dialogue in a strikingly original way. Rather than treating it as a straightforward defense of reason or ideal governance, Sini reads Plato’s work as a theatrical piece. Alessandro Carrera, the book’s editor and translator, will guide us through Sini’s provocative re-reading of Plato.
https://mahindrahumanities.harvard.edu/event/staging-political-virtue-platos-republic-and-drama-desire

Applied Humanities: Who Needs the Humanities?
2025-11-24 17:00 - 19:00 | Thompson Room, 12 Quincy St., Cambridge, Thompson Room, 12 Quincy St., Cambridge, Cambridge, MA, MA, United States
The Harvard English Department invites the community to a conversation exploring the growing relevance of the humanities beyond academia. While traditional departments face decline, the demand for humanistic perspectives in business, policy, and technology continues to rise.
Speakers Tarun Khanna (Harvard Business School), Doris Sommer (Romance Languages), and Moira Weigel (Comparative Literature) will discuss this vital paradox and its implications for education and society.
📅 November 24, 5–7 PM📍 Thompson Room, 12 Quincy St., Cambridge

Pre-Texts at the Bok Center: The Arts Teach (Everything)
2025-12-01 16:30 - 18:30 | Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, 50 Church Street, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, 50 Church Street
Join us on December 1, 2025 (4:30–6:30 PM) at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, 50 Church Street. Pre-Texts: The Arts Teach (Everything) introduces a creative pedagogy that turns texts into art-making materials, transforming challenges into opportunities for learning. Inspired by thinkers such as Montessori, Freire, and Dewey, the program invites educators to explore teaching as an art. Training continues in Spring 2026.

Formazione Pre-Texts: Contesti di Guerra
2025-12-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Centro Internazionale di Brera, Via Marco Formentini 10, Milan, Centro Internazionale di Brera, Via Marco Formentini 10, Milan, Italy
Pre-Texts Training: Contexts of War
Join the Pre-Texts workshop series in Milan from December 5 to 8 at the Centro Internazionale di Brera.
This program explores creative literacy tools for communities affected by conflict through five engaging sessions.
📍 Centro Internazionale di Brera, Via Marco Formentini 10, Milan
📅 Presentation: Friday, December 5, 6–8 PM
For information and registration: amministrazione@rescueteam.ong

Roosevelt Montás Rescues Socrates
2026-03-04 18:30 - 19:00 | The Mahindra Humanities Center, Barker Ctr, 12 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States, Cambridge, MA, United States
The Cultural Agents Seminar “Pedagogies for Peace” at The Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University welcomes Roosevelt Montás of Columbia University to speak on the transformative impact of classical texts and the enduring importance of the humanities in shaping ethical and civic life. Drawing from his personal and academic journey, from the Dominican Republic to New York city, he explores how engagement with foundational works reanimates the questioning spirit of Socrates and invites renewed dialogue about education, self-knowledge, and intellectual tradition in contemporary society. https://americanstudies.columbia.edu/people/roosevelt-montas

Timothy Leary’s Trips from Harvard to Mexico: Hotel Nirvana, March 27-28
2026-03-27 09:00 - 2026-03-28 12:00
A multidisciplinary conference, inspired by Hotel Nirvana, a play about Timothy Leary’s encounter with Mexico and mushrooms, brings together theater, research on drugs, law, and war with a documentary film and a visit to the Houghton collection of psychedelic art. An interview with novelist and playwright Juan Villoro will explore connections between art and complex issues of security and public health to reflect on today’s innovation and appropriation of ancestral knowledge. Hosted by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, its Cultural Agents Initiative, with support from the Mahindra Center for Humanities program, Psychedelics in Society and Culture, and from the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Program
Friday, March 27, 2026
– Fong Auditorium (Boylston Hall)
9:00 – 10:30: Panel 1: Psychedelics for Health
– Franklin King, MD (United States) — Neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, specialist in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
– Roxanne Sholevar, MD (United States) — Psychiatrist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with extensive experience at the intersection of psychiatry and medicine.
– Juliana Zambrano, MD (United States) — Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

10:40 – 11:00: Coffee Break

11:10 – 12:40: Panel 2: Ethics and Sacred Psychedelics
– Pedro Favarón (Peru) — Philosopher, poet, and researcher of Amazonian Indigenous traditions, and critic of neo-shamanism.
– Rick Doblin (United States) — Founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and partner pioneer with Leary in psychedelic-assisted therapies.
– Héctor de Jesús-Cortés, PhD (Puerto Rico) — Neuroscientist specializing in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity.
– Boylston Hall, room 403
1:00 – 2:00: Lunch for speakers and Screening of “Rao: The Challenges of Shipibo-Konibo Ancestral Medicine”
– Houghton Library
2:15 – 3:15: Guided Visit to the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Collection of Psychedelic Art
– Farkas Hall
3:30 – 4:30: Staged Reading of Hotel Nirvana, directed by Leyma López
4:45 – 6:00: Interview with Juan Villoro, author of Hotel Nirvana

Saturday, March 28, 2026 / Resource Room (CGIS)
– CGIS, DRCLAS Resource Room
10:00 – 11.30: Panel 3: Drug War Narratives and the Violence of National Security Paradigm
– Oswaldo Zavala (México) — professor at CUNY, author of Drug Cartels Do Not Exist and The War in Words.
– Rachel Nolan (United States) — historian and Pulitzer Prize journalist, professor at Boston University.
– Boris Muñoz (Venezuela) — journalist, editor of Boom, an independent digital journalism initiative to fight misinformation.
– Andrew Ryan (United States) — Boston Globe journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist; member of the investigative team at Spotlight.
11:30 – 12:00: Coffee

The ALARI IV Continental Conference on Afro-Latin American Studies
2026-07-22 00:00 - 2026-07-24 00:00 | Universidad Icesi, Calle 18 No. 122-135, Cali, Pance, Colombia
We are pleased to share that Professor Doris Sommer will participate in the Fourth Continental Conference on Afro-Latin American Studies, organized by the Afro-Latin American Research Institute (ALARI) at Harvard University, in collaboration with the University Consortium on Afro-Latin American Studies and the Center for Afrodiasporic Studies (CEAF) at Universidad Icesi.
The conference will take place in Cali, Colombia, from July 22 to 24, 2026, and will unite scholars, students, artists, educators, activists, and policymakers engaged with the African Diaspora in Latin America.
We invite all interested participants to submit their proposals by December 1, 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to join a vibrant space for dialogue, exchange, and innovation.
Participate here!
https://alari.fas.harvard.edu/aplicacion-al-iv-encuentro-continental/
