Institute for Humane Studies

Formal institutions don't sustain themselves. The values, norms, and habits underneath them do. In her keynote at the 2025 Markets and Society Conference, IHS President Emily Chamlee-Wright argues that liberalism faces a deeper crisis than any constitutional threat. It's the slow erosion of its cultural foundations. Once those foundations degrade, no legislation can bring them back.

Her prescription: scholars and intellectuals need to pick up the cultural tools already in their hands, stories, symbols, and founding ideals, and use them with urgency. Hear the full keynote on the Hayek Program podcast.

Emily Chamlee-Wright — 2025 Markets and Society Conference Keynote On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, Emily Chamlee-Wright delivers a keynote lecture at the 2025 Markets &

This July, IHS is hosting an online graduate research conference where students in the social sciences will present their projects for feedback. Free program with a $100 honorarium.

Visit our website to apply for a spot:

Graduate Conference for the Social Sciences | Institute for Humane Studies All EventsGraduate StudentGraduate Conference for the Social SciencesZoomJuly 25 – July 26, 2026OverviewPresent your research online and get feedback from faculty at the IHS “Graduate Conference for the Social Sciences.” This online graduate research conference offers students working in the s...