The Crisis From Within Historians Theory And The Humanities

In The Crisis from Within, Nigel Raab examines analytic problems which emerge when philosophical and literary theories are introduced in historical analysis. By drawing from a vast range of historical works, it highlights dangers inherent to using theory.

This volume will appeal to the reader interested in the so-called “long crisis in the humanities” and transdisciplinary approaches as a possible way out of this. It comprises a selection of 23 essays by both established and young scholars from the United States, Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, coming from a variety of disciplines, including aesthetics, anthropology, architecture, art, critical theory, ethnography, feminism, film studies, gender and queer theory, literary theory, Marxism, musicology, philosophy, and sociology, among others. What brings all these together here is the intention to advance transdisciplinarity, both in theory and in practice, in their scholarly work, as a possible solution to this purported crisis, the subject of heated debate in academia since the 1960s, revolving around the “crisis of the subject” and the humanities’ positioning as a field of research. The book examines the place of the humanities in contemporary society, and challenges the ways that issues that form the foci of various disciplines have been addressed in recent theoretical discourses. It reflects on the status of the disciplines in the humanities, and explores the links between history, culture, media, and art.

Recent trends in the humanities and social sciences have forced on academia what many might call a crisis of history. Conventional assumptions about coherence and meaning in history are being challenged by questions concerning the relevance of history and attempts to refigure its content and mode of representation. The publication of History and... appears at a critical moment in our efforts to understand the importance of history as it relates to a wide range of scholarly disciplines. History and... brings together some of its most thoughtful scholars to better understand not only how our disciplines are connected to professional historiography but how our attempts to understand cultures are connected to our pasts.

Leads scholars and anyone who cares about the humanities into more effectively analyzing the fate of the humanities and digging into the very idea of the humanities as a way to find meaning and coherence in the world. The humanities, considered by many as irrelevant for modern careers and hopelessly devoid of funding, seem to be in a perpetual state of crisis, at the mercy of modernizing and technological forces that are driving universities towards academic pursuits that pull in grant money and direct students to lucrative careers. But as Paul Reitter and Chad Wellmon show, this crisis isn’t new—in fact, it’s as old as the humanities themselves. Today’s humanities scholars experience and react to basic pressures in ways that are strikingly similar to their nineteenth-century German counterparts. The humanities came into their own as scholars framed their work as a unique resource for resolving crises of meaning and value that threatened other cultural or social goods. The self-understanding of the modern humanities didn’t merely take shape in response to a perceived crisis; it also made crisis a core part of its project. Through this critical, historical perspective, Permanent Crisis can take scholars and anyone who cares about the humanities beyond the usual scolding, exhorting, and hand-wringing into clearer, more effective thinking about the fate of the humanities. Building on ideas from Max Weber and Friedrich Nietzsche to Helen Small and Danielle Allen, Reitter and Wellmon dig into the very idea of the humanities as a way to find meaning and coherence in the world. ,

Minds Alive explores the enduring role and intrinsic value of libraries, archives, and public institutions in the digital age. Featuring international contributors, this volume delves into libraries and archives as institutions and institutional partners, the professional responsibilities of librarians and archivists, and the ways in which librarians and archivists continue to respond to the networked age, digital culture, and digitization. The endless possibilities and robust importance of libraries and archives are at the heart of this optimistic collection. Topics include transformations in the networked digital age; Indigenous issues and challenges in custodianship, ownership, and access; the importance of the harmonization of memory institutions today; and the overarching significance of libraries and archives in the public sphere. Libraries and archives - at once public institutions providing both communal and private havens of discovery - are being repurposed and transformed in intercultural contexts. Only by keeping pace with users' changing needs can they continue to provide the richest resources for an informed citizenry.

Demonstrating that the supposed drawbacks of the humanities are in fact their source of practical value, Jay explores current debates about the role of the humanities in higher education, puts them in historical context, and offers humanists and their supporters concrete ways to explain the practical value of a contemporary humanities education.