Further Reading

Key points of reference for the current debate:

Stefan Collini, 'Browne's Gamble'. LRB 32.21 (4 November 2010). [See also David Willett's speech on "The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in the Modern University"]

Stefan Collini, 'From Robbins to McKinsey'. LRB 33.16 (25 August 2011).

Martha C. Nussbaum, Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. You can download the first chapter from the official site.






The Purpose of Liberal Education:
Martha C. Nussbaum, Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education. Harvard University Press, 1998.  Preview available on Google Books.
Bill Readings, The University In Ruins. Harvard University Press, 1996. Preview.






The Role of the Intellectual:
Bruce Robbins, Secular Vocations: Intellectuals, Professionalism, Culture. London: Verso, 1993. Preview.
Bruce Robbins, Intellectuals: Aesthetics, Politics, Academics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1990. Preview.

Archive of Past Events

Die Zukunft der Geisteswissenschaften in einer multipolaren Welt - Berlin 12/11 Universität Konstanz; Konstanzer Wissenschaftsforum; StiftungPreußischer Kulturbesitz; Volkswagen Stiftung 15.12.2011-16.12.2011, Berlin, Pergamonmuseum, Theodor-Wiegand-Saal /Altes Museum, Rotunde.

Conferences

ISSEI International Society for the Study of European Ideas. Cyprus, July 2 – 6, 2012
The Ethical Challenge of Multidisciplinarity: Reconciling ‘The Three Narratives’—Art, Science, and Philosophy

Past Conferences: Talks and other resources

The 'Why Humanities?' conference took place at The Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities on 5 November 2010. (NB: This site is not directly connected to the conference and its organisers; we merely share many of their concerns.) Recordings of the talks given by Stefan Collini, Joanna Bourke, Francis Mulhern, Raimond Gaita, Iain Pears, Kate Soper and Quentin Skinner are available online.