Artists and humanists who work in universities are generally ambivalent about the idea of defending their enterprises in terms of social utility: on the one hand they do not want to claim that the Arts and Humanities are such exalted and selfjustifying endeavors that no one need bother explainingwhy such things are worth pursuing, yet on the other hand they are rightly skeptical that cost-benefit analyses of academic labor will do justice to disciplines devoted to the varieties of human cultural (...) expression rather than to the research and development of patentable forms of knowledge. This essay explores this ambivalence and suggests an alternative way of thinking about the ‘utility’ of cultural work. (shrink)

The idea of ‘the university’ has stood for universal themes—of knowing, of truthfulness, of learning, of human development, and of critical reason. Through its affirming and sustaining of such themes, the university came itself to stand for universality in at least two senses: the university was neither partial nor local in its significance . Now, this universalism has been shot down: on the one hand, universal themes have been impugned as passé in a postmodern age; in the ‘knowledge society’, knowledge (...) with a capital ‘K’ is giving way to multiple and even local knowledges . On the other hand, the very process of globalization has been accused of being a new process of colonization. Global universities, accordingly, may be seen as a vehicle for the imposition of Western modes of reason . Diversity is the new watchword, a term that—we may note—has come to be part of the framing of the contemporary policy agenda for higher education. Accordingly, in such a situation of multiple meanings, both within and across institutions, the university becomes an institutional means for developing the capacities—at both the personal and the societal levels—to live with ‘strangeness’: perhaps here lies a new universal for the university? But, then, if that is the case, if strangeness is the new universal for the university, some large challenges await those who would claim to lead and manage universities. (shrink)

Arguing that globalization has been conceived of largely in economic terms this article examines the possibility of a global curriculum in the light of Touraine’s assertion that the major global problem is not economic but social: can we live together? I argue that a global curriculum conceived in social terms is possible and that it will involve: the inclusion of currently ‘subjugated knowledges’; the ability to cross cultural boundaries within and between societies; and a commitment to development as freedom. Such (...) a curriculum would be a recognition of the need to rescue society and personality from the ravages of global markets through education. (shrink)

This essay suggests ways to overcome what I take to be a widespread problem of a dichotomy between the knowledge of being and the practice of becoming and an emphasis on the former at the expense of the latter within contemporary Humanities at the university. First, I trace the genealogy of this dichotomy and its effects on contemporary Humanities' higher education, especially in the guise it takes as a dichotomy between contemplation and action – thinking and acting. Secondly, I elaborate (...) an account of self-directed development as a process of bridging the gap between being and becoming. Thirdly, I point towards often undervalued and even neglected philosophical traditions that provide us with alternative resources to engage in effective processes of self-directed development, enabling us to develop our human potentiality. (shrink)

Taking as its starting point the European Commission’s agenda for promoting collaborative, interdisciplinary research that includes the Humanities as well as the Social Sciences, this article argues that arts and humanities research needs greater integration into that research agenda and more, as well as more imaginative and incentivizing, funding and support. Utilizing the issue of the London bombers as an example, the article indicates that the Arts and Humanities can provide both insights into and perspectives on the challenges Europe faces (...) in the 21st century. It suggests that a trans-disciplinary approach to research issues is required that is, inter alia, best supported by the establishment of advanced interdisciplinary research institutes that include the Humanities and Social Sciences. (shrink)

Although primary source work is a major component of undergraduate history degrees in many countries, the topic of how best to support this work has been relatively unexplored. This article addresses the pedagogical support of primary source work by reviewing relevant literature to identify the challenges undergraduates face in interpreting sources, and examining how in two courses carefully articulated course design and supportive teaching activities assisted students to meet these challenges. This fine-grained examination of the courses is framed within a (...) socio-cultural account of learning. The findings show how a skilful drawing of students into the interpretive/discursive practices of source analysis was associated with an epistemological reframing of historical knowledge and dialogical forms of teaching that helped the students to take forward a dialectical engagement with sources. The benefits of an ‘integrated’ approach to source work that fosters students’ affective and intellectual engagement with historical interpretive practices are highlighted. (shrink)