The Vault

The Vault

episodes

Selected lectures and symposia from The New York Institute for the Humanities. Since 1977, the New York Institute for the Humanities has brought together distinguished scholars, writers, artists, and publishing professionals to foster crucial discussions around the public humanities. Through weekly seminars and public events, the NYIH nurtures conversations and collaborations among its network of fellows to broaden the intellectual vision informing and enlivening public culture. For more information and to support the NYIH, visit nyihumanities.org.

An Introduction to NYIH Studios

September 21, 2018

An Introduction to NYIH Studios

Welcome to the New York Institute for the Humanities podcast. Learn more about the history of the Institute and our shows.…

The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI: A Lecture by Betty Medsger

August 25, 2023

The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI

Betty Medsger
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In this 2014 episode from the Institute’s Vault, we hear from Betty Medsger. Medsger was a Washington Post reporter in March 1971, and received a cach…

Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity

August 23, 2023

Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity

Rebecca Goldstein

In this episode from the Institute’s Vault we hear from Rebecca Goldstein, an American philosopher, novelist, and public intellectual. She holds a Ph.…

Nicholas Lemann, "Transaction Man: The Rise of the Deal and the Decline of the American Dream" (FSG, 2019)

August 2, 2023

Transaction Man

Nicholas Lemann
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Nicholas Lemann is a staff writer at the New Yorker and a professor of journalism at Columbia. He is the author of four books, the most recent of whic…

The Happiness Myth: A Talk by Jennifer Michael Hecht

August 1, 2023

The Happiness Myth

In 2006, Jennifer Michael Hecht spoke to the Institute about her book, The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think Is Right Is Wrong. Hecht is a poet and hi…

Ian Buruma on "Year Zero: A History of 1945"

July 29, 2023

Year Zero: A History of 1945

Ian Buruma is the author, co-author and editor of over a dozen books. He has been an editor at the Far Eastern Economic Review and The New York Review…

The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke

July 28, 2023

The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke

David Bromwich
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In April 2014, David Bromwich spoke at the Institute about his forthcoming book, The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke: From the Sublime and Beautiful…

Deirdre Bair on Artist Saul Steinberg

July 1, 2023

Deirdre Bair on Artist Saul Steinberg

Deirdre Bair
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In this episode from the Institute’s Vault, we hear a 2011 talk by Deirdre Bair about the artist Saul Steinberg. Bair received the 1978 National Book …

The End of Books: A Lecture by Robert Coover

June 18, 2023

The End of Books

Robert Coover
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Robert Coover spoke at the Institute in the spring of 2006. Coover is the author of over a dozen postmodern novels, including The Public Burning and P…

Sennett and Foucault on Sexuality and Solitude (1979)

February 2, 2023

Sennett and Foucault on Sexuality and Solitude (1979)

Richard Sennett and Michel Foucault

In 1979, sociologist and NYIH founder Richard Sennett, and philosopher Michel Foucault, discussed the connections between the history of sexuality and…

Rousseau's Ideas About Censorship in the Arts

January 9, 2023

Rousseau's Ideas About Censorship in the Arts

Richard Sennett

In 1982, the Institute held a multi day discussion of censorship. In this session from the Vault, sociologist Richard Sennett talks about Jean Jacques…

On W. H. Auden

January 5, 2023

On W. H. Auden

Christopher Isherwood and Stephen Spender

In 1983, ten years after W. H. Auden’s death, the New York Institute for the Humanities organized a series of readings and discussions of his work. In…

Why are Insects so Scary? On Insects in Films.

January 3, 2023

Why are Insects so Scary? On Insects in Films.

May Berenbaum

This episode from the Vault is a lecture by May Berenbaum about why insects are so scary. Professor Berenbaum is an American entomologist whose resear…

Comedies of 'Fair Use': Lewis Hyde on Owning Art and Ideas

January 1, 2023

Comedies of 'Fair Use'

In April 2006, The Institute held a two day symposium about copyright and intellectual property, titled Comedies of Fair Use. In this session, Lewis H…

Edmund Leach on Roman Jakobson's Contributions to Linguistics

December 30, 2022

Edmund Leach on Roman Jakobson's Contributions to Linguistics

Edmund Leach

In this episode from the Institute’s Vault, we hear the1982 Gallatin Lecture, in which Sir Edmund Leach discussed the work of Roman Jakobson, who he m…

"Gone with the Wind" Revisited

December 28, 2022

"Gone with the Wind" Revisited

Molly Haskell

In this week’s episode from the Institute’s Vault, Molly Haskell talks about her 2009 book, Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited, publishe…

Historian Laurence Stone on the Role and Revival of Narrative in History

December 27, 2022

The Role and Revival of Narrative in History

Laurence Stone

In this week’s episode from the Institute’s Vault, we hear a lecture on the revival of narrative in history by Laurence Stone. Professor Stone taught …

Second Thoughts on Consistency: A Lecture by Hans Magnus Enzensberger

December 6, 2022

Second Thoughts on Consistency

Hans Magnus Enzensberger

In October 1981, Hans Magnus Enzensberger gave the Institute’s James lecture, titled “Second Thoughts on Consistency.” Enzensberger, who died in Nove…

Leonardo da Vinci and Vassari’s "Lives of the Painters"

October 25, 2022

Leonardo da Vinci and Vassari’s "Lives of the Painters"

Harry Berger

In this episode of the Vault, we hear Harry Berger’s talk about Leonardo da Vinci and Vassari’s "Lives of the Painters." Harry Berger was a scholar of…

Eric Hobsbawm on "Literacy and the Tower of Babel"

October 10, 2022

Eric Hobsbawm on "Literacy and the Tower of Babel"

Eric Hobsbawm

In this episode from the Vault, we hear from historian Eric Hobsbawm, a frequent visitor at the New York Institute for the Humanities. His talk, Liter…