About

The John Hope Franklin Center serves as host to several Duke departments and centers dedicated to the exchange of knowledge across cultures. The building is both a location for ongoing scholarship in the humanities and social sciences and a continued symbol of John Hope Franklin’s legacy in scholarly exchange and intellectual inquiry around critical social and political topics. 

The John Hope Franklin Center was opened in 2001 as a Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies and stood as a distinctive coalition of area studies centers and initiatives dedicated to redefining the acquisition and exchange of knowledge. Inspired by the remarkable example set by John Hope Franklin – a revered Duke professor emeritus, historian, intellectual trailblazer, and lifelong advocate for civil rights – the Franklin Center has a rich intellectual history of providing avenues for academic inquiry and learning, simultaneously extending captivating opportunities to the broader community.

Over the years, the Center has served as a home to scholars from a diverse array of academic fields working to tackle some of contemporary society's most critical social and political subjects: from matters of race and race relations, encompassing equality and prospects within heterogeneous communities, as well as the consequences of swift globalization.

Situated along the bus route and conveniently reachable by foot from other sectors of Duke's campuses, the Center has served as an accessible hub for residents from Durham and the Triangle region to engage in and partake in workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and other public gatherings.

While the area studies units housed with the Center were integrated into other academic units across Duke in 2025, the John Hope Franklin Center remains as a location for continued scholarship in international and area studies and a reminder of John Hope Franklin's legacy in intellectual inquiry and the exchange of knowledge.