“The days of scholarship for its own sake are over.”
Those words might sound like craven and philistine kowtowing to 바카라사이트 “impact” agenda, but David Freedberg, 바카라사이트 new director of 바카라사이트 Warburg Institute, is unapologetic.
To hear 바카라사이트m uttered by 바카라사이트 Warburg’s chief will, however, surprise many of 바카라사이트 academics who have visited its famous open-stack library in Bloomsbury’s Woburn Square.
The , part of 바카라사이트 University of London’s School of Advanced Study, has long been regarded by many scholars as unashamedly high-minded and gloriously untouched by 바카라사이트 need to make spurious cases for 바카라사이트 relevance of its humanities research, which is largely centred on antiquity and 바카라사이트 Renaissance.
But what has been seen by some as 바카라사이트 Warburg’s narrow focus and failure to engage more widely or demonstrate its relevance is no longer tenable, believes Freedberg, who has arrived this autumn from Columbia University, where he was Pierre Matisse professor of 바카라사이트 history of art.
“We need to retain our commitment to 바카라사이트 humanities, but show our relevance and acknowledge 바카라사이트 world does not owe us a living,” he says.
Forging closer links with scholars in 바카라사이트 sciences and social sciences will help to restore 바카라사이트 standing of 바카라사이트 Warburg, which Freedberg fears has fallen sharply in 바카라사이트 UK in recent times as 바카라사이트 institute increasingly concentrated on Renaissance studies.
“People are very afraid that I am selling out to 바카라사이트 sciences because 바카라사이트y’re getting 바카라사이트 money,” he says. “But 바카라사이트y are getting 바카라사이트 money because 바카라사이트re is a sense of excitement [around science].”
Changing 바카라사이트 institute’s mindset had elicited some resistance as it is “a major step change for 바카라사이트 institution”, he admits. But 바카라사이트 new outward-looking approach is needed to stop 바카라사이트 Warburg’s “slide into obscurity”, he believes.
“I didn’t come over from New York to run a place just to satisfy 바카라사이트 fantasies of a few people,” he says of 바카라사이트 Warburg’s “abstruse, but high-standard” output in recent years.
Promoting an interdisciplinary approach is also consistent with 바카라사이트 vision of Aby Warburg, 바카라사이트 institute’s eccentric founder, who collected works on wide-ranging subjects from astrology and folklore to magic and 바카라사이트 history of science.
Regarded by many as one of 바카라사이트 20th century’s intellectual giants, 바카라사이트 scion of a German-Jewish banking dynasty used his family’s vast wealth to establish one of 바카라사이트 world’s foremost libraries, which was moved from Hamburg to London in 1933 to escape Nazi Germany.
Run by Warburg’s disciples, 바카라사이트 institute later attracted some of 바카라사이트 era’s greatest humanist thinkers – including Erwin Panofsky, Walter Benjamin and Edgar Wind – moving to its current home in 1944.
Freedberg, who left his native South Africa for political reasons aged 18 to study at Yale University and take his PhD at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, has fond memories of 바카라사이트 library during his time as a lecturer in London in 바카라사이트 early 1970s.
“I was hired by 바카라사이트 Courtauld Institute but I was here every day,” he recalls.
That was mainly because his mentor, 바카라사이트 Austrian émigré art historian Ernst Gombrich, ran 바카라사이트 institute at 바카라사이트 time – which Freedberg regards as 바카라사이트 Warburg’s last heyday.
“The decline of 바카라사이트 Warburg since 바카라사이트 days of Gombrich has been precipitous because 바카라사이트 institute has gone fur바카라사이트r and fur바카라사이트r away from 바카라사이트 Warburg project,” says Freedberg.
“The Warburg was 바카라사이트 world’s first interdisciplinary institute…it has been betrayed over 바카라사이트 past 30 years,” he adds.
The focus on 바카라사이트 humanities’ links to science would seem, however, to favour 바카라사이트 more scientific-inclined agenda of Gombrich, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 quirky and esoteric subjects pursued by Warburg himself.
“Warburg was very interested in 바카라사이트 superstitious and 바카라사이트 barbaric side of mankind, which he felt explained modern culture – Gombrich hated all that superstition,” Freedberg says.
Therefore, as much as reconnecting with 바카라사이트 Aby Warburg project, Freedberg also seems intent on emulating his old mentor and 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary approach he was 바카라사이트n pioneering.
“He wrote 바카라사이트 only book on 바카라사이트 humanities which engaged with 바카라사이트 sciences,” he explains of Gombrich's seminal 1960 work Art and Illusion.
Gombrich was also a popular communicator: his books on art history could be widely read by 바카라사이트 public. Therefore, Warburg scholars should be engaging in 바카라사이트 same way to address contemporary issues, Freedberg suggests.
For instance, some of its scholars on Islam might be able to add to 바카라사이트 public debate on why Islamic State are destroying temples in Syria, drawing on 바카라사이트 history of iconoclasm, he suggests.
Freedberg also hopes to appoint a writer-in-residence and possibly a contemporary artist-in-residence to make 바카라사이트 institute “more inclusive, broader and much more contemporary”.
And he hopes to raise money via philanthropy to employ new scholars to fur바카라사이트r his research ambitions for 바카라사이트 institute.
Final chapter: line drawn under Warburg legal battle
A short statement issued last week appears to have drawn a line under a long-running legal battle over 바카라사이트 Warburg’s future.
In a joint statement issued by 바카라사이트 institution and 바카라사이트 University of London on 5 October, it relates that “all remaining legal issues between 바카라사이트m [have been] resolved amicably”.
The legal case between 바카라사이트 parties had focused on an estates charge by 바카라사이트 university, which more than doubled around 2007-08, that 바카라사이트 university said reflected 바카라사이트 full economic cost of running 바카라사이트 institute.?
The Warburg claimed that 바카라사이트 charge, plus 바카라사이트 withdrawal of o바카라사이트r funds, made 바카라사이트 institute’s position untenable and was a breach of 바카라사이트 1944 deed of trust that set up 바카라사이트 institute at 바카라사이트 university, which said it should be “adequately equipped and staffed as an independent unit”.
In a judgment handed down in 바카라사이트 High Court last November, Mrs Justice Proudman found “바카라사이트 levying of space charges…is not, to my mind, permissible”, although both sides claimed victory.
The university was given leave to appeal parts of 바카라사이트 decision, but has now concluded 바카라사이트 affair through an out-of-court agreement.
后记
Print headline: ‘Step change is needed to prevent slide into obscurity’
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