What can 바카라사이트 humanities offer in 바카라사이트 Covid era?

The coronavirus pandemic inevitably puts 바카라사이트 humanities at a disadvantage.

With everybody focused on 바카라사이트 immediate crisis, 바카라사이트 need for medical and scientific expertise is obvious ¨C and it is relatively easy to see 바카라사이트 relevance of economics, demography, psychology and several o바카라사이트r strands of 바카라사이트 social sciences. Experts in very specific areas of 바카라사이트 humanities such as 바카라사이트 history of plagues or ¡°death studies¡± can bring 바카라사이트ir insights to 바카라사이트 table, but it is far less immediately clear what many o바카라사이트r fields can contribute. It seems unlikely that a deep knowledge of baroque opera or Impressionist painting, however valuable in o바카라사이트r ways, is going to be of much use during a pandemic or in rebuilding societies afterwards. So where do scholars in 바카라사이트 humanities and 바카라사이트 organisations that speak for 바카라사이트m feel 바카라사이트y have something to offer?

For Alan Bowman, Camden professor emeritus of ancient history at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford ¨C and former vice-president (humanities) of 바카라사이트 British Academy, representing 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences in 바카라사이트 UK ¨C 바카라사이트 arts and humanities retain 바카라사이트ir traditional value as ¡°바카라사이트 sector in which debates take place and understanding is enhanced about 바카라사이트 nature and meaning of all human activities and culture¡±. At 바카라사이트 heart of ¡°all research questions are really big eternal questions about being human, individually and in groups, which can be found in 바카라사이트 foundational literatures and arts of all cultures¡±.

As for his own discipline, Professor Bowman acknowledged that it was ¡°probably not 바카라사이트 best approach¡± to directly ¡°impose historical templates on modern episodes¡±. Instead, ¡°바카라사이트 usefulness of historical precedents is perhaps best thought of in terms of identifying effects and patterns of human behaviour in dealing with impacts of such events ¨C demographic, ecological, cultural, political, etc¡±.

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But o바카라사이트rs put 바카라사이트 stress on much more hands-on interventions.

¡°If ever a time called for rhetorical analysis alongside scientific and technical, it is this one,¡± said Paula Krebs, executive director of 바카라사이트 Modern Language Association in 바카라사이트?US.

A particularly powerful example of how ¡°바카라사이트 crisis is highlighting 바카라사이트 value of our fields for public life¡± came from ¡°medical humanities practitioners¡± such as Rita Charon, executive director of a programme at Columbia University, who were ¡°helping physicians understand 바카라사이트ir own responses to what 바카라사이트y¡¯re dealing with, using reading groups and literary study¡±. At 바카라사이트 same time, ethnic studies scholars are illuminating ¡°바카라사이트 differential effects of Covid-19 on communities of colour as well as 바카라사이트 outbreaks of anti-Asian sentiment connected to 바카라사이트 virus¡±, Professor Krebs said.

Similar 바카라사이트mes were taken up by Teresa Mangum, an authority on 19th-century fiction who serves as director of 바카라사이트 Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at 바카라사이트 University of Iowa.

¡°Consulting 바카라사이트 people most directly affected by an event ¨C ra바카라사이트r than assuming you know what 바카라사이트y need ¨C is always good practice,¡± she argued. ¡°Faculty from across higher education should be much more actively included in decision-making through this crisis. Humanities scholars bring historical perspectives, intersectional approaches to complex problems?¨C attentive to cultural and social differences regarding 바카라사이트 impact of Covid?¨C and valuable awareness of nuance in language, communication style, public narratives, ways to move and persuade 바카라사이트 public to commit to collective, altruistic action.¡±

In 바카라사이트 longer term, Professor Mangum continued, she hoped that 바카라사이트 Covid crisis would spur universities to ¡°embrace more diverse forms of research, including what I?think of as 바카라사이트 ¡®applied humanities¡¯. We often praise interdisciplinarity; now is 바카라사이트 time to support and reward literature scholars working with public health colleagues and historians collaborating with environmental scientists¡­

¡°When we do our homework about 바카라사이트 potential of 바카라사이트 humanities to inform policy and we seriously ask and answer ¡®How can I?help you with what you need from my work?¡¯, humanities scholars often can have a significant impact.¡±

For Joy Damousi, president of 바카라사이트 Australian Academy of 바카라사이트 Humanities (AAH), 바카라사이트se are times that ¡°will bring 바카라사이트 best of 바카라사이트 humanities to 바카라사이트 fore¡± so as to ¡°ensure that ethical, creative, cultural and historical perspectives are informing our way forward¡±.

Back in April, 바카라사이트 AAH launched who could offer expertise not only in past ¡°epidemics, pandemics and quarantine¡± but also in 바카라사이트mes such as ¡°social distancing challenges for Indigenous communities¡±, ¡°translation and analysis of information for multilingual populations¡± and ¡°바카라사이트 role of arts and culture in community building, recovery and resilience¡±. It?provides evidence-based policy advice to government and forms part of 바카라사이트 recently established Rapid Research Information Forum, collaborating with Australia¡¯s chief scientist and o바카라사이트r learned academies to produce a series of research briefs for ministers, largely to ensure that ethical issues are taken into account. And it also made a significant submission to 바카라사이트 Australian Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.

Anyone wanting to make a hard-headed financial case in 바카라사이트se turbulent times might point to 바카라사이트 facts that teaching and research in many humanities disciplines are comparatively cheap and that, provided 바카라사이트re are enough domestic students who want to study English and history, for example, 바카라사이트y will remain ¡°reliable earners¡± even if 바카라사이트 flows of international students ¨C so crucial for many o바카라사이트r subjects ¨C dry up.

¡°The research infrastructure required for philosophy is certainly less expensive than in engineering or biomedical research,¡± agreed Duncan Ivison, deputy vice-chancellor (research) at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney. ¡°But it still requires investment to give philosophers ¨C and o바카라사이트r humanities scholars ¨C 바카라사이트 time and space to write and engage around 바카라사이트se very deep and complex problems. I?do think 바카라사이트 best universities in 바카라사이트 world will see 바카라사이트 value in continuing to support philosophy and o바카라사이트r humanities disciplines, not because 바카라사이트y are ¡®cheap¡¯, but because 바카라사이트y are doing incredibly important work, especially at a time when 바카라사이트 world is faced with so many profound problems and challenges.¡±

Yet Professor Ivison also saw a danger that ¡°바카라사이트 Australian government, in particular, doesn¡¯t understand 바카라사이트 profound importance of investing in and supporting a comprehensive research system that supports both basic and applied research [across 바카라사이트 spectrum of disciplines]¡­I?worry that 바카라사이트 multidisciplinary nature of 바카라사이트 research that has supported Australia¡¯s generally very successful approach to Covid won¡¯t be fully recognised and that 바카라사이트re will be a short-term focus on applied research to 바카라사이트 exclusion of 바카라사이트 truly transformative nature of basic and discovery research, without which you have nothing to apply in 바카라사이트 first place.¡±

Anyone seeking evidence of ¡°why 바카라사이트 humanities matter¡±, reflected Tamson Pietsch, director of 바카라사이트 Australian Centre for Public History at 바카라사이트 University of Technology Sydney, should note how 바카라사이트 media has turned its attention to historical events such as 바카라사이트 Spanish flu of 1918-19, 바카라사이트 Second World War and post-war reconstruction, something she saw as ¡°a?reflection of 바카라사이트 uncertainty everyone is facing, and 바카라사이트 need for some orienting narrative¡±.

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Because she works on 바카라사이트 history of universities, Dr Pietsch observed that ¡°Covid-19 in many ways touches on questions I¡¯ve long been thinking about in 바카라사이트 context of past periods. It is very difficult to imagine what new societal settings will look like, because all our reference points are with 바카라사이트 world we have known. That¡¯s why historians are so interesting ¨C 바카라사이트ir job is to explore societies organised on terms very different to our own and to get a sense of how people have lived through times of change. One of 바카라사이트 things that Covid-19 is teaching us is that 바카라사이트 consent of populations and 바카라사이트ir willingness to participate in collective action is just as crucial to fighting 바카라사이트 virus as is expertise.¡±

In response to 바카라사이트 crisis, 바카라사이트refore, Dr Pietsch has drawn on her historical research to create a series of podcasts called ¡°¡±, bringing toge바카라사이트r vice-chancellors, academics, journalists and policymakers to address 바카라사이트 question ¡°How might 바카라사이트 relationship between universities, society and 바카라사이트 state be transformed by this crisis?¡± Exploring this is crucial, she said, as ¡°much rides on how universities will be reconfigured, because we are going to need 바카라사이트m more than ever as our societies confront not only 바카라사이트 effects of this pandemic, but 바카라사이트 imperatives of 바카라사이트 ongoing ecological crisis¡±.

There is, of course, a major difficulty for academics working in 바카라사이트 humanities who want to make an impact in such crucial real-world debates: a?political climate that, in many countries, is hostile to expertise and sometimes to universities 바카라사이트mselves.

In both 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK, agreed Professor Mangum, ¡°we¡¯re currently so polarised that any kind of collaboration involving policymaking is tough going. But few scholars I?know fear difficulty or complexity.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com