Scholars in public life

 

 

The Imagining America consortium (IA) brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues. By dreaming and building together in public, IA creates the conditions to shift culture and transform inequitable institutional and societal structures.

Register now for the 2026 IA National Gathering!

Reflecting on the importance of transitions – from political crises to global climate change, and personal identity to organizational transformation – the 2026 IA National Gathering invites participants to share stories, research, creative works, and community practices exploring the complex process of transitioning away from systems of fear and domination and towards restoring collective spirit.
Featured Image: Taller Arte Nuevo Amanecer (TANA) Archive

WHAT’S NEW

Pedagogies of Possibility: Supporting Undergrads to Imagine and Build Futures of Their Own Making

In this collaboratory blog post, Jessica Bacal and Deborah Keisch are inspired to ask: What does it look like, in practice, to pay attention to possibility? What does it look like inside our classrooms, in 1:1 meetings with students, in our assignments, with our colleagues? What does it look like for those of us trying to stay under the radar because we are pre-tenure or are otherwise precarious due to our job title or social identities?

+ Pedagogies of Possibility: Supporting Undergrads to Imagine and Build Futures of Their Own Making

 

WHAT’S HAPPENING

National Gathering

Annual convening of public scholars, artists, designers, students, and cultural organizers addressing today’s pressing issues.

 

New Campus Host

IA is proud to share that Pennsylvania State University is the next campus home for Imagining America, starting July 1, 2027. Learn more about this intentional cycle of transition for IA.

Fellowships

IA fosters vibrant networks of graduate and undergraduate students from our member institutions.

 

Collaborative Research and Learning

IA’s research initiatives and learning opportunities leverage the intellectual and creative capital that is the consortium’s greatest strength.

WE ENVISION

We envision a world of expansive social imagination, constructed by multiple ways of knowing, where people work together to nurture healthy, vibrant, and joyful communities.

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OUR MISSION

The Imagining America consortium (IA) brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues.

By dreaming and building together in public, IA creates the conditions to shift culture and transform inequitable institutional and societal structures.

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GET ON THE IA MAILING LIST

SIGN UP HERE
Phone Number:

530-297-4640

Email Address:

connect@imaginingamerica.org

Physical Address:

207 3rd Street, Suite 120
Davis, CA 95616

 

Imagining America

Publications

Programs

Funding has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.