The Humanities disciplines in Australia are in flux. The purposes and possibilities of the humanities are likely to be reshaped in the near future by the current federal government’s planned Universities Accord, the Sheil Review of the Australian Research Council, a possible reversal of the student fee changes introduced by the Jobs Ready Graduates legislation, and continuing uncertainty about the future funding of critical research infrastructure and cultural institutions. The humanities face contractions of their funding and challenges to their public value, at the same time as possible opportunities for renewal and revitalisation.

This seminar will bring together scholars working on different intersections of the humanities, public policy and the public good, and provide an opportunity for discussion of these issues. It will consider the current public policy landscape of the Australian humanities, and the likely opportunities and challenges of the future.

Speakers:

Dr Joel Barnes, University of Queensland
Thinking about the Public Value of the Humanities through their History

Professor Frank Bongiorno, the Australian National University
The National Cultural Institutions and Humanities Research

Professor Julia Horne, University of Sydney
Humanities and the Universities Accord

Professor Kylie Message-Jones, the Australian National University
Beyond Universalism and Impact Pathways: Why the Success of the Sustainable Development Goals relies on the Humanities

Dr Katrina Grant, the Australian National University
Communities of Practice, Knowledge Sharing, Digital Transformation and Collaboration between Humanities, Public Culture and the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum sector