Former ISI “Transformations” Fellow and Professor of Linguistics John McCarthy, is relinquishing his role as Dean of the Graduate School to devote more time to his duties as Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, as well as to his linguistics research. John has been tremendously successful in his position as Dean; we wish him all good luck going forward. 
Elizabeth Chilton, Professor of Anthropology, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, and former ISI fellow (2009-2010 and 2012-2013) has been named Dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University in New York. In addition to twice being a member of our seminars, Professor Chilton offered valuable support to the Institute, especially during our transition from ISHA to the ISI. We wish her all good luck in her new position!
The ISI is delighted to announce that twelve faculty members have been chosen by the ISI Board as Fellows for our 2017-2018 seminar on “Dissent.” The Fellows will approach the theme of the seminar from a variety of perspectives, ranging from the humanities to the social sciences, from economics to theater.
On April 25, the W.E.B. Du Bois department of Afro-American studies will celebrate the book launch of ISI 'Value' fellow Britt Rusert's Fugitive Science: Empiricism and Freedom in Early African American Culture. The event will take place from 5-7 p.m. in the New Africa House lobby. Copies of the book will be available for sale courtesy of Amherst Books. 
The ISI is a cosponsor of this year's African Cinema Symposium and festival, held from April 5-8 across the 5 College campuses. The event brings together leading filmmakers, festival programmers and scholars from Africa, Europe, and the United States. The schedule includes feature film screenings, question and answer sessions with African filmmakers, and scholarly panels. More information about the schedule can be found on the
The 2017-2018 ISI theme is 'Dissent,' and we are currently accepting applications for next year's faculty seminar. To provide some extra time for submission, we have extended our deadline to Monday, March 13th. 
On March 23 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in ILC N400 the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute will sponsor a workshop for faculty and graduate students led by this year’s ISI resident, Professor Daniel Kanstroom. The workshop is open to all scholars and graduate students with an interest in incorporating collaboration with community-based groups into their scholarship and teaching on immigration policy issues. 
On February 15, Professor Alessandra Di Maio will give a lecture at 4:30 p.m. in Herter 601. Her talk, "AfroItalia: Voices and Images Across the Mediterranean," is related to her most recently edited poetry collection, Migrazioni/Migrations, and addresses the migrations, connections, and--in connection with this year's ISI theme--trespassings that have marked the relationship between Italy and the African continent. The recent arrival in Italy of migrants from Africa, while sparking controversy and igniting a heated debate on immigration to the EU, has urged Italians to reconsider their historical connections with the African continent and assess new cultural relationships. Among the first communities who crossed the Mediterranean and found a new home in Italy are Nigerians. In Migrazioni/Migrations, renowned Italian and Nigerian poets, headed by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, join their voices in telling the choral story of how Africa and Italy have always been united by a common sea and a shared experience of migration.
The ISI is excited to cosponsor a workshop, open to UMass graduate students and faculty, led by Stewart Motha on February 13. The interdisciplinary workshop with Professor Motha will explore how memory and belonging can be studied from the perspectives of post-colonial studies and critical legal studies. A pre-circulated text drawn from Professor Motha’s book Archiving Sovereignty (forthcoming with University of Michigan Press) will form the basis for discussion. Reworking the notion of the ‘archive’, Motha explores the memorial and ‘as if’ function of modern law as it is elaborated through juridical case studies, and literary and other artistic works drawn from Australia, South Africa, and the Indian Ocean region. The workshop will be of interest to doctoral students and faculty studying topics that touch on sovereign violence, history, interpretation and language. The seminar is capped at twenty; if you are interested in attending, please write to isi@umass.edu to reserve a spot.- ‹ previous
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About the ISI
The Interdisciplinary Studies Institute is a forum for faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to engage with one another in a spirit of intellectual and creative adventure. We host seminars, residencies, and visiting speakers, and work with others to foster interdisciplinary work on campus. Welcome to the ISI.
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