2022 GSAS graduate Nikhita Obeegadoo explores the way that contemporary authors often present the perspectives of oppressed and exploited migrants through the lens of oceanic ecology and materiality.

In her doctoral dissertation, “Imagined Histories: Hellenistic Libraries and the Idea of Greece,” recent graduate Alexandra Schultz pushes back against the longstanding narrative of Hellenistic libraries as established, maintained, and used solely by wealthy, “great men.” In doing so, she hopes to shake up the way that scholars look at the history of knowledge.

Graduating student Henry Stoll’s PhD dissertation, “The Unsung Revolution: The Music of Haitian Independence, 1804–1820,” argues that much of early Haitian music followed French traditions, highlighting the difference between European Enlightenment ideals and the real-world treatment of colonies.

As a PhD student in German language and literature at Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Rebecca Stewart explores the art and thought of Friedrich Schiller with fresh eyes, finding in his work a trenchant critique of power and a championing of the marginalized.

In her 2022 Harvard Horizons project, “The Secret-Seekers: Renaissance Writers and the Birth of Code,” the PhD student Vanessa Braganza seeks not only to reveal the ways that ciphers shaped early modern English literature but also to inspire both literary critics and general readers to look more closely at texts and question what we think we know.

An associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, Herman Pontzer, PhD ’06, is one of the world’s foremost authorities on metabolism and its development throughout human history. In this interview, the author of the bestselling 2021 book, Burn , talks about how we really burn calories, lose weight, and stay healthy.

Evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer, PhD '06, explains why the calories we burn every day stay within a fairly narrow range whether we’re gym rats or couch potatoes.

Eight scholars appointed studying topics from implicit bias to religion and Hollywood

As Christmas 2021 approaches, Rev. Dr. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, PhD ’13, speaks about a Christian ethics that is at odds with white supremacy and cultural hegemony.

GSAS PhD candidate Bulelani Jili explores what motivates countries in Africa to engage with China, particularly in the realm of information and communication technology.