Debating the value of the humanities

From art to literature to music, the humanities are as rich as they are diverse.

For more than a century however, a debate has raged about the 'value' of the humanities, and the study of cultural artefacts as compared, for example, with science-based research.

The debate surrounding the humanities was the subject of a colloquium held at ANU in August.

Keynote speaker Professor Helen Small’s recent book The Value of the Humanities served as a focus for the colloquium, which covered many issues that humanities disciplines face.

Being a colloquium, event was centred on discussing these issues and how humanities could continue to stay relevant for the years to come.

“Debates about the value of the humanities have been going for over a century,” says HRC Director Dr Debjani Ganguly.

“For this event we didn’t want to simply revisit old debates, but to examine some of the contemporary contexts in which we humanities scholars function and the ways in which we can continue to be meaningful to the world at large."

Topics covered at the colloquium included: Knowledge of the Worlds and Use Value; Pleasure and Practice; Humanities, Civil Society, Democracy; Humanities Futures; Communicating the Humanities; and Evaluating the Humanities.

Audio recordings from the colloquium are now available on the HRC website