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The Authoritarian Playbook: Using Fear and Crisis to Gain Power in Italy and America

The Authoritarian Playbook: Using Fear and Crisis to Gain Power in Italy and America

Authoritarian leaders use fear, crisis, and rebranding to push far-right agendas and erode democracy, NYU professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat told a UCSB audience at the inaugural Charles R. Ross Distinguished Lecture in the Department of Italian Studies. She highlighted how figures like Mussolini, Meloni, and Trump manipulate public perception to justify extreme policies.

The Fight for Repatriation at UCSB and Beyond

The Fight for Repatriation at UCSB and Beyond

A panel held by the Religious Studies Department at UCSB called on the university to strengthen its efforts to return Native ancestors' remains and cultural objects, highlighting the spiritual and human rights importance of repatriation. Panelists stressed that education and understanding are key to addressing the long-standing harm caused by the desecration of Native burial sites.

Premodern Poetry and the Future of Digital Humanities

Premodern Poetry and the Future of Digital Humanities

Christina Han, an associate professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, visited UCSB to present on the 17th-century Korean Sihwa ch'ongnim 詩話叢林 Compendium of Poetry Talks and the importance of collaborative, transnational scholarship in digital humanities.

Black History in America — Its Legacy and Fate

Black History in America — Its Legacy and Fate

Harvard University professor and filmmaker Vincent Brown spoke at a UCSB Key Passages series talk titled “Black History’s Warning to the World” and gave insights on the past, present, and future of Black history in the United States and internationally.

Rediscovering Student Art in ‘Creative Currents’

Rediscovering Student Art in ‘Creative Currents’

The newly opened exhibit Creative Currents: Student Expression in the Arts at UC Santa Barbara’s Sara Miller McCune Arts Library showcases decades of student creativity, spanning from 1960 to 2017. Curated by graduate student Carlyle Constantino, the exhibit highlights emotionally resonant works while exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the evolving role of curation in amplifying historically overlooked voices.

From Actor to Director: Delving Deep into "Sweeney Todd"

From Actor to Director: Delving Deep into "Sweeney Todd"

UCSB English student and actor-turned-director Curran Seth made his directorial debut with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, collaborating with the UCSB Music Department and Shrunken Heads Production Company to bring the dark, character-driven story to life. Emphasizing emotional depth over technical precision, Seth guided his cast—many of whom were primarily singers—to tap into their characters' psychology, resulting in a raw and immersive production.

HFA Speaks: Five Years after Lockdown, a Lingering Legacy in the Arts

HFA Speaks: Five Years after Lockdown, a Lingering Legacy in the Arts

Five years after COVID-19’s initial outbreak across the U.S., Letty García, Nomi Morris and Nathan Roberts from the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts gathered to unpack its impacts on film, the performing arts, writing and academia for a UC Santa Barbara audience. While quarantine fostered artistic innovation and collective creativity, it also transformed university students in both positive and negative ways, according to the speakers.

The Poetic Cinema of Shane Book

The Poetic Cinema of Shane Book

Shane Book, a poet and filmmaker, spoke at An Evening of Film and Poetry with Shane Book last week. Co-sponsored by the College of Creative Studies, Film and Media Studies, and the Center for Black Studies Research, Book spoke about his poetry books, his two short films, and his time spent learning and living in a myriad of different cities.

Blurring the Lines Between Objectivity and Subjectivity

Blurring the Lines Between Objectivity and Subjectivity

Sociologist Claudio E. Benzecry explores the blurred boundaries between humans and objects, revealing how people project themselves onto their surroundings and, in turn, become shaped by them. Through studies on opera lovers, shoe models, and museum guards, he uncovers the ways in which passion and perception transform inanimate things into active participants in human experience.

A TV Cartoon  as a Catalyst for Social Change in South Asia

A TV Cartoon as a Catalyst for Social Change in South Asia

Meena Ki Kahani (Stories of Meena), a beloved animated series created by UNICEF in 1993, has become a cultural phenomenon in South Asia, addressing critical issues like gender inequality, child labor, and trafficking. Speaking at a UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities event, Indian scholar Jawa Jha highlighted the series’ profound societal impact. Jha believes the series shows how media can inspire social change.

Interdisciplinary Humanities Center

Interdisciplinary Humanities Center

As the fall quarter comes to a close, UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center had a busy and successful quarter filled with lectures and events. Additionally, they have provided new announcements and opportunities for both faculty and graduate students at UCSB.

An Insider Lens on Storytelling

An Insider Lens on Storytelling

Cheri Steinkellner has had a successful career in television, film, and theater and is now writing a novel. She continues to be a legend in the storytelling world, sharing her expertise with UCSB film students and insider stories from the industry. In an HFA interview, Steinkellner discusses her experiences working on iconic projects like Cheers and her unique creative teaching methods.

Harmony and Hope: Solace in Music

Harmony and Hope: Solace in Music

The UCSB Chamber and Concert choirs held their fall concert earlier this month in downtown Santa Barbara, carrying themes of hope and light through their music in a concert titled, “Hope Finds Light.”

Shouts of Empowerment: A Campus Art Display

Shouts of Empowerment: A Campus Art Display

This fall, UC Santa Barbara's MultiCultural Center hosted Echoes of Empowerment, a student-led art exhibit showcasing creative work such as poems, collages, and paintings. The pieces in this collection convey resilience, hope, and the transformative power of art to mend and uplift the human spirit, a space for connection and inspiration for students of color and others who feel marginalized.

The “Disneyfication” of Literature for Children

The “Disneyfication” of Literature for Children

Movies and media shape children’s understanding of culture and morality, but the “Disneyfication” of literature often raises questions about what is gained or lost in the process. Martina Mattei, a Comparative Literature Ph.D. student at UC Santa Barbara, examined Disney’s adaptations of Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid. She noted how Disney simplified the dark moral complexity of Pinocchio into a more uplifting tale and highlighted the backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting in the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid, reflecting nostalgia for Disney’s earlier portrayal. Mattei argues that simplified adaptations can risk erasing the cultural richness of the originals, shaping how future generations understand these tales.

Of Exile and Identity in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Of Exile and Identity in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Julia Lupton was hosted by UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center for her talk When Life is a Shipwreck: Key Passages in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and discussed Shakespearean themes of transition, exile, and crisis, along with the role of dual identity in regards to queerness and the gender spectrum.

Reimagining Sacred Spaces:  Shinto Beyond Japan

Reimagining Sacred Spaces: Shinto Beyond Japan

Kaitlyn Ugoretz, a UCSB Ph.D. candidate, delves into the evolving practice of Shinto outside Japan, highlighting how sacred spaces are created through rituals rather than geography. Her research explores how Shinto is flourishing in the U.S. among non-Japanese practitioners, driven by global influences like anime and inclusive spiritual values.

La Tierra Environmentalism: a Love of Nature Linked to Catholic faith

La Tierra Environmentalism: a Love of Nature Linked to Catholic faith

Author Amanda J. Baugh talks about the link between environmentalism and Latinx Catholic faith, in her recent book Falling in Love with Nature: The Values of Latinx Catholic Environmentalism. Baugh investigates “la tierra environmentalism,” a widespread ethic of living on earth and protecting one’s environment just as one would their neighbor. She was recently hosted by UCSB’s Walter H. Capps Center.

HFA Speaks: Reflecting on a Future Trump Administration

HFA Speaks: Reflecting on a Future Trump Administration

At an HFA Speaks event “Post-Election Reflection,” three UCSB faculty panelists gathered to discuss the threats America faces in human rights, academic freedom, and democracy under a Trump administration.