Research is the life-blood of this institution. Research here represents the pursuit of interesting questions, not just of the right answers. As an institution whose intellectual remit crosses disciplinary and methodological frontiers, our questions, much more  than our answers, mark off “our  terrain”, our areas of intellectual engagement. Moreover, a “science of questions” draws together teaching—all our classes meet as seminars—and scholarship.

The BGC sponsors a rich array of research activities, from our weekly seminar series to special symposia scattered through the year.

Research also includes publication. This year we are  launching a new journal that better reflects the breadth of our interests.  Also, this year we officially launch a new e-monograph series with Harvard University Press,  entitled “Cultural Histories of the Material World.”