Dr. Srimati Mukherjee, alongside Dr. Rebeca Hey-Cólon (now at Cornell), co-founded the Writers of Color Series in 2021 as a response to violence against BIPOC bodies. Dr. Mukherjee revived the series during Spring 2026 with a discussion of the novel My Monticello.
GLOBAL ASIA WORKING GROUP
During Spring 2026, in conversation with Dr. Roselyn Hsueh, CHAT formalized an affinity group entitled “Global Asia Working Group.” The goal is to bring scholars and students into dialogue and to plan events that would speak to a diverse scholarly agenda.
AUTHENTICITY IN FOCUS
To celebrate Trans Day of Visibility, in collaboration with GSWS and Queer Voices Coalition, CHAT hosted headshots, taken by Oliver Lois Economidis. As non-normative citizens often feel uncomfortable, we sought to create a safe space to get new photos that allow them to feel authentic and confident.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
CHAT was invited to participate in Beyond the Classroom Fest this year. In bringing our Annual Theme to life, we created mini books that attendees could bind, as well as themed items that can bind to people or objects: stickers and temporary tattoos! We spoke with over a hundred undergraduates that day about what CHAT has to offer.
WAFFLE WEDNESDAYS
Throughout the year, Greek & Roman Classics used CHAT’s conference room for a monthy event that brings together between 10-15 undergraduate and graduate students from across the insitution, including TU Rome. In addition to using CHAT’s space and access to supplies, CHAT also created and distributed monthly flyers.
COBWEBS & CALAVERAS
Joining forces for the first time with the Student Success Center, CHAT organized an event related to Halloween, Día de Muertos, and other Fall-themed traditions. This event included food, games, and a costume contest. Over 90 students, staff, fellows, and faculty were in attendance.
COMMUNICATE LIKE A SCHOLAR
Working with Mark Kaloko, Ed.D., CHAT and Temple’s Graduate School organized an event to support graduate students in developing professional communication skills. Students from field ranging from nursing to political science were in attendance.
CAREERS IN HUMANITIES: ALUMNI PANEL
Teaming up with CLA Graduate Affairs (Julia Falcon and Hayley Wight), we offered a humanities career panel with three alumni. This was offered on Zoom to accommodate schedules for presenters and attendees.
As the first event of 2025-2026, it seemed only fitting to invite CHAT’s graphic designer, Dora Moghaddami, to speak about artistry, individual brand, and curiosity. Joined by CHAT Fellows, students, and faculty, Dora referenced Kafka, growing up in Iran, and shared what inspires her to approach each project with care. This event was supported by OVPR funds.
Sonetos de Amor Oscuro
Along with Spanish & Portuguese, CHAT supported Daniel de Jesús’s visit to Temple as part of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. After a beautiful cello performance in the newly inaugurated Mazur 111, de Jesús was welcomed in CHAT for a reception where he also displayed his phenomenal paintings. This event was supported by OVPR funds.
Risks & Rewards of Public Humanities
Eight local public humanities professionals from organizations such as PA Humanities, Free Library of Philadelphia, First Person Arts, Treehouse Books, and CLA’s Center for Community engagement addressed a crowd of approximately 35. The guests addressed the way in which contemporary events shape the work they do. This event was co-organized by CHAT and English, notably Dr. Laura McGrath and Dr. Steve Newman. This event was supported by OVPR funds.
Betty Corrello: Love, Lupus, and Rome
CHAT welcomed Betty Corrello, author of 32 Days in May, to discuss writing while impacted by an autoimmune disease. Joining us were students fro GSWS 3015: Sexuality and Disabililty, Education Abroad, and MLLC. In front of an audience of 50 people, Corrello shared experiences studying in Rome, crafting compelling characters, and how she navigated her own health. Cupid’s Bookshop was also on site, as Corrello debuted her new novel, My Italian Vampire. This event was supported by OVPR funds.
Malwina Marciniak: Fulbright Scholar
In collaboration with Dr. Michael Klein and Boyer College of Music and Dance, CHAT hosted Dr. Malwina Marciniak, a Fulbright Scholar from Poland, during Spring 2026 semester. Dr. Marciniak gave a riveting talk on January 23, 2026 and spent time in CHAT developing her research on the New Concerto.
So, You Want to Write a Trade Book.
Dr. Laura McGrath’s forthcoming monograph tackles complex questions related to book publishing, including the role of a literary agent. She and Alia Hanna Habib, VP and Literary Agent, had a riveting discussion about what it means to work with an agent and how to maneuver in this current climate.
Forged in the Ring
In collaboration with the Temple Anthropology Lab and Museum (TALM), Damian Lobato joined approximately 25 students and faculty for conversation about Philadelphia Boxing Gyms. Lobato also shared his personal photography and loaned items to TALM until Fall 2026. This event was organized by Dr. Marina Mikhyalova and supported by OVPR funds.
2026-2027 CHAT Fellow, Bench Ansfield presented their award-winning book Born in Flames to a crowd of over 30 people. Ansfield gave a provocative talk about brownlining, insurance fraud, and New York in the 1960s and 1970s. Co-sponsors for the event included History and Honors.
As a 2022-2023 CHAT Fellow, Alan McPherson workshopped and presented parts of what would become The Breach. He and his doctoral student, Joseph Johnson, discussed the book in front of approximately 25 colleagues and graduate students on February 3, 2026.
Starting Fall 2025, I am the Director of the Center for the Humanities at Temple (CHAT) and joining Theatre Journalas Co-Editor. My research focuses on performative acts of dissidence and resistance across contemporary Latin/x American geographies. With a particular emphasis on 21st century Mexico, my work explores how theatre and performance genres create opportunities for non-normative citizens to express socio-political critiques and reimagine definitions of belonging. My book, Sonic Strategies: Performing Mexico’s War on Drugs, Mourning, and Feminicide (Vanderbilt University Press, 2023) examines performances in times of crises and particularly, the way artists engage and leverage the sonic realm as a means of expressing the realities of Mexico since 2006. My articles have appeared in Romance Notes, Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos, Revista de Estudios Hispánicos, and Latin American Theatre Review, among others. I earned my Ph.D. in Contemporary Latin American Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015, and prior to joining Temple University, I was Assistant Professor at the University of Dayton and Visiting Assistant Professor at William & Mary.
“Performing Trans “Monstrosity” and Non-binary Bodies in Cuentos de la Tumbona (2021) by Mariano Ruiz.”The Figure of the Monster in Global Theatre, eds. Analola Santana and Michael Chemers. Routledge, 2024. 68-81.
“Affective Acoustic Territories: Mapping and Performing Disappearance in Zona clausurada (2022) by Teatro Línea de Sombra.” Hispanic Review. 92.3 (Summer 2024): 427-452. https://doi.org/10.1353/hir.2024.a948077
“Selena Quintanilla Memorial Sites: Enactments of Altered Temporality, Pedagogies of Postmemory, and Queer Latinx Love.” Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies 49.1 (Spring 2024): 99-128. https://doi.org/10.1525/azt.2024.49.1.101
“Reality TV, Poverty Porn, and the ‘Money Shot’: Performing Female Incarceration in Los caballeros las prefieren presas by Minerva Valenzuela.” Revista de Estudios Hispánicos 57.1 (Spring 2023): 3-28. 10.1353/rvs.2023.a901497
“Santiago-Orlando: Performances of Queer Vulnerability and Futurity in the Work of (Me llamo) Sebastián.” Chasqui 49.1 (Spring 2020): 202-221. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27120845
“Soundtrack of an (After) Life: Transfemicide, Mourning, and Pop Music in La Prietty Guoman by César Enríquez.” Latin American Theatre Review 53.2 (Spring 2020): 5-31. 10.1353/ltr.2020.0012
Associate Director
Robert Rabiee (he/him)
Email: robert.rabiee@temple.edu
Office: Mazur Hall 340
About Me
Robert Yusef Rabiee is a scholar and teacher of nineteenth-century U.S. literature and culture. He serves as Associate Director of the Center for the Humanities at Temple (CHAT). An Associate Professor of Instruction in Temple’s Intellectual Heritage Program, he teaches the humanities, political philosophy, and multiethnic American literature to undergraduates across disciplines. His first book, Medieval America: Feudalism and Liberalism in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Culture (University of Georgia Press, 2020), argues that feudal law and medieval literature shaped American ideas about race, class, and gender in the nineteenth century. His current project, Pestilential Stuff: Conspiracy and Crisis in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Culture, turns to how American culture has reckoned with economic decline and political crisis through the lens of conspiracy and secret societies. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, where there are lots of horses and relatively few other Iranians, Rob holds a B.A. in Individualized Study from New York University and Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern California. At CHAT, he works to build new bridges between faculty research and the undergraduate classroom and to celebrate undergraduate research excellence in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.
Senior Manager of Administration
Joseph DelMastro (he/him)
Email: joseph.delmastro@temple.edu
Office: Gladfelter Hall 509
About Me
Hello, I’m Joe (BBA ’07, Fox School of Business), and I’m the Senior Manager of Administration at Temple University, overseeing the Departments of Criminal Justice, Sociology, Anthropology, CHAT, and the Cybersecurity and Human Behavior program. As a proud Philadelphia native, I spent a decade in banking, working as a sales representative and assistant manager prior to returning to Temple. My background and experience have been an invaluable asset to the University, beginning with the Criminal Justice Training Programs and expanding my leadership across multiple departments. I use my deep institutional knowledge, and I commit to help sustain and strengthen the University’s academic community and help make CHAT the vibrant place that it is!
CHAT Cat
Clarice (she/they)
Email: chat@temple.edu
Office: Mazur Hall 312 Bookshelf
About Me
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Communications & Design Specialist
Oliver Lois Economidis (they/them)
Email: oliverloismedia@gmail.com
Office: Mazur 312
About Me
A recent Temple graduate with a degree in Communication Studies and certificate in Sports Media, CHAT has given me more than I could’ve ever asked for. As your favorite jack-of-all-trades, I’ve had the pleasure of creating promotional materials for the center (including pieces of this website), capturing moments from our events, building connections between the center and Klein College of Media and Communication, building videos and graphics to increase our social media following, and more. Outside of my work at CHAT, I love to read (currently reading “Seven Days In June” by Tia Williams), thrift, explore, spend time with my cats, take photos and videos, and watch the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, and Bengals. Am I a proud Philly transplant/local (it’s complicated)? Yes. Am I also still a proud Ohioan? Also yes. This is also your reminder to drink some water + to remember you are enough as you are. Go birds.
Published Works
Short Films
“Eight Decades” (2025): Finalist; DiamondQ; LGBTQ Film Festival
