The School of Humanities is engaged in research in the broad areas of philosophy, psychology, literature, archaeology, history, mathematical modelling, fine arts, and culture. The two programmes of the school focus specifically on cognitive science; philosophy of mind, language and mind, causality; brain-inspired artificial intelligence; archaeometallurgy and analysis of ancient metals; heritage, art history and bronzes of Karnataka, monument and stone architectural heritage, Iron Age-Early Historic south India, geospatial analysis for cultural heritage; origins and evolutionary trajectories of monument-building traditions in India; and cross-cultural musical exchanges in the colonial period.
During the past academic year, while the programmes continued their research studies, a notable initiative was the Foundation Course offered on Humanities by the School, focusing on four themes: ‘self and emotions,’ ‘nature and culture,’ ‘historical narratives’ and ‘time and causality’, that are central to the disciplines of the school to provide interdisciplinary perspectives. Another significant outcome was a collaborative initiative with Sahapedia, for a joint programme to bring culture and digital humanities under one space. This programme, the NIAS Sahapedia Digital Humanities partnership, consists of members from the schools of humanities and social sciences in NIAS and members from Sahapedia.
