On the eve of our 20th anniversary celebration, Bianet Castellanos, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study, reflects on the importance of maintaining a home for deep intellectual analysis and robust conversations about pressing social issues.
Recent events—from the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to enforce immigration to the tragic acts of political violence taking place in Minnesota and throughout the country—underscore the need for continued dialogue and constructive action to end violence in all its manifestations at home and abroad. After being away on a year-long sabbatical, I am truly grateful to return to the Institute for Advanced Study: a space where deep intellectual analysis and robust conversations about pressing social issues are at the core of our mission.
Our (In)Justice Series is dedicated to exploring these issues. For the next two years, the series is organized around the theme of “Data & Power.” We will focus on data, how it is collected, who controls it, and what it reveals (or conceals) about power, identity, and justice. Our first event, “Who Owns Your Medical Information?,” will take place on November 6. We will examine how data is collected, shared, and used in the name of public health—and the complex ways technology shapes our lives and may deepen existing inequities.
We are also looking forward to partnering with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Department of American Indian Studies to present the Guy Stanton Ford Lecture—this year we will welcome Leanne Betasamosake Simpson on October 9. Explore our events calendar to view all our upcoming events.
During my sabbatical, IAS staff members Susannah Smith, Carolina Maranon-Cobos, Juliet Burba, and I traveled to Australia to begin planning the Global Humanities Institute, “Indigenous Mobilities, Tourism and Racial Capitalism,” with funding from the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes. Dr. Kylie Message-Jones, director of the Australian National University’s Humanities Research Centre, hosted us and our collaborators from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. One of the highlights of this trip was the guided tour of the Australian War Memorial by Indigenous Liaison Officer Michael Bell that focused on the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Island Straight service women and men. We have invited an amazing group of early career scholars and community practitioners to join us in Mérida, Yucatán, in early January 2026.
Next week we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IAS and honor Susannah Smith, our former managing director and acting director, who retired in August.
As I look back on the tremendous work the IAS has accomplished over the last two decades, I am reminded of how deeply my career has been influenced by the IAS. I joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota the year the IAS was founded. I remember attending the opening party hosted by Ann Waltner, the IAS’s first director, at Nolte Hall. Participating in research collaboratives like “Markets in Time” shaped my thinking on finance and capitalism. As a residential fellow in 2013-14, I was encouraged to think about the legal dimensions of my research on housing in Mexico, a project that resulted in my award-winning book Indigenous Dispossession: Housing and Maya Indebtedness in Mexico (Stanford University Press, 2021). Serving on the advisory board from 2015 to 2018 taught me to fully appreciate the scope of the IAS’s mission and efforts to support interdisciplinary research across the University of Minnesota.
Throughout these experiences, Susannah was a touchstone, always willing to listen, ask thoughtful questions, and help concretize an inkling of an idea.
I invite you to join me in celebrating Susannah and her countless contributions to the IAS on Thursday, September 25, from 5-7 p.m. in Northrop’s Memorial Hall. I look forward to seeing you then!
Warmly,
Bianet Castellanos
Director
Institute for Advanced Study
September 21, 2025