Transnationalising the Humanities 

Transnationalising the Humanities

Transnationalising the Humanities (TNH) responds to an interconnected world under duress. Networks of integration and exchange connecting the local to planetary scales are disrupted by changes in the international order, converging with the impacts of climate change and AI, revealing new interdependencies and risks. 

Transnationalism is often associated with an emancipatory politics of resistance as manifest in hybrid, creolised, feminist, and queer approaches which can engender forms of agency. Yet with the backlash of the far-right, equity is under attack and migration and immigration are contested terms predominantly framed negatively. These terms must be treated carefully, showing how contemporary attitudes can have roots in problematic historical contexts. Critical engagement with histories of transnational contact/conflict is crucial for building relationality as an alternative to entrenched identity politics.

TNH explores methodologies and case studies of transnational processes and practices from historical and contemporary perspectives. The TNH strand fosters an open, free research culture and an inclusive environment for critical debate, analysis and collaboration. 

Theme Lead: (opens in a new window)Professor Anne Fuchs, UCD Humanities Institute

_{image credit: Judy Carroll Deeley. Abstract 2025 collage and ink on paper, 28.5 cm in diameter}