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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-simon-during-on-the-demoralisation-of-the-humanities-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-186111>
"What state are the Australian academic humanities in? Simple. They’re
demoralised. How can I tell? The signs are everywhere, but let’s just say that
whenever humanities academics get together these days, conversations inevitably
turn to a single topic: how bad things are.
In this, the humanities don’t stand alone. Nurses, teachers, truckies,
call-centre workers and many others feel harried and oppressed too. We are all
working under management regimes – let’s call them neoliberal – that care about
things like efficiency, workplace safety, profits, productivity, obeying the
regulations, fulfilling the strategic plan. But they don’t care much about us.
This worsening of working conditions across the board affects the humanities in
a particular way. For centuries, the humanities were where cultural values and
understandings were developed and debated; where history was uncovered; where
heritages were preserved and assessed; where abstract thought was allowed to
roam free. So neoliberal managerialism, with its loyalty to market forces
rather than to values, traditions, ideas and people, damages them especially
badly.
There is a problem here, however. Those who appreciate the significance of the
humanities tend to be involved in them to start with. In theory, the humanities
matter to the culture as a whole; in practice, they matter mainly to
themselves. This circularity limits and further demoralises the humanities.
To try to move past this circularity, it is useful to remember the European
humanities’ history. In very general terms, they have passed through three
phases since they were established in their modern form about six centuries
ago."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
