Interdisciplinary Collaborations at Berkeley and Beyond

Image credit:
Joyce Kozloff, Spheres of Influence

The Center for Interdisciplinary Critical Inquiry (CICI) fosters cross-divisional, cross-regional and global collaborations in order to address the key political, social, religious and cultural issues of our time­. We are committed to thinking creatively across an array of fields to develop a capacious vision of the arts and the human and social sciences, in relation to critical thought, justice and ethics.

Pause
flyer advertising summer research grants

Announcing the 2023 CICI Summer Research Grants

The Center for Interdisciplinary Critical Inquiry is pleased to announce the 2023 CICI Summer Research Grants. These grants are available to both undergraduate and graduate students who have at least one semester remaining.

Sign reading "Fight today for a better tomorrow"

Call for Papers | The 2023 ICCTP Conference | Theorizing Global Authoritarianism: To Reclaim Critical Theory Against the Grain

Announcing the 2023 ICCTP Conference, June 9-11, 2023, at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea. Organized by the International Consortium of Critical Theory Programs and the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies of Kyung Hee University, South Korea. Co-organized by the Asia Theories Network. Submit by: March 31, 2023.

Paul Klee, "Dream City"

Critical Theory Dissertation Awards Support Graduate Research in 2022–2023

The Program in Critical Theory will support four Designated Emphasis students’ dissertation projects. Kevin Stone and Saniya Taher will receive semester-long Critical Theory Dissertation Fellowships, while Phillip Campanile will receive a Critical Theory Completion Grant and Laila Riazi will receive a Critical Theory Research Grant.

Pictured here is the music archive of KALX. (UC Berkeley photo by Elena Zhukova)

Berkeley News Article | Defying negative stereotypes, humanities majors are booming at Berkeley

Students looking for the right major to become global citizens in today’s world are increasingly turning to the arts and humanities at Berkeley. Pictured here is the music archive of KALX. (UC Berkeley photo by Elena Zhukova)

Programs and Initiatives

The Program in Critical Theory

The Program in Critical Theory (the Designated Emphasis, or “DE,” in Critical Theory) enables graduate students already enrolled in UC Berkeley PhD programs from across the social sciences, arts, and humanities to obtain certification of a Designated-Emphasis specialization in Critical Theory.

The International Consortium of Critical Theory Programs

The International Consortium of Critical Theory Programs (ICCTP) seeks to document, connect, and support the various programs and projects that now represent critical theory across the globe. Through its work, the Consortium aims to document the global contours of critical theory today, supporting critical thought both inside and outside the university in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and science and technology studies, and seeking collaborative forms for critically responding to pressing global challenges.

Recently Added: The Environmental Arts & Humanities Initiative

The Environmental Arts & Humanities Initiative brings together faculty and students in the arts and humanities and interpretive social sciences to advance the multidisciplinary study of the environment with particular attention to critical histories and futures, narrative, visual, and embodied practices, beliefs, values, and ethics, and environmental justice and the public good.

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion

The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) advances creative and critical scholarship on religion. Since its founding in 2012, BCSR has become a nexus for interdisciplinary collaboration, uniting leading scholars from an array of disciplines and responding to recent developments in the humanities and social sciences.

The Berkeley Democracy and Public Theology Program

Supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Berkeley Democracy and Public Theology Program (BDPTP) is a multifaceted, three-year project initiating the second phase of BCSR’s Religion in the World initiative. Building upon the Luce Berkeley Public Theology Program, the first phase of "Religion in the World," BDPTP aims to advance both academic and public understanding of public theology, religion, and democracy, and to create mutually beneficial conversations among them.

Digital Humanities

Digital Humanities creates and facilitates digitally driven research and pedagogy. Its grants, consultations, courses, and summer institute allow faculty and students to integrate digital tools into humanist practice. It promotes the thoughtful application of digital technology to knowledge creation, updating the critical skill set and professional horizons of a liberal arts education.

The Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative

With the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) launched a four-year program with the Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI). APARRI is a vibrant scholarly community committed to promoting the critical awareness of Asian Pacific American religions and fostering the next generation of scholars and community leaders. Our mission is to work towards a society in which Asian Pacific American religions are valued, recognized, and central to the understanding of American public life.

More programs coming soon

Featured News

News

More news

Featured Event

Inaugural CICI Symposium | Borders and Crossings: Contemporary Arts and Techniques of Migration

March 10-11 | Arts Research Center, D23 Hearst Field Annex, UC Berkeley Cosponsored by the Arts Research Center, the Social Sciences Division and the Center for Race & Gender

Featured Media

INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF CRITICAL THEORY PROGRAMS WEBINAR

Colonial Destruction, Past and Present: Plunder, Waste, and Preservation

COLONIAL DESTRUCTION, PAST AND PRESENT: PLUNDER, WASTE, AND PRESERVATION