Nobel laureate John Galsworthy cautioned that “If you don’t think about the future, you cannot have one,” so as the end of 2022 approaches I’m thinking a fair bit about what lies ahead in 2023 and about the future in general.
Part of this is in preparation for a series of events being presented this coming spring by the National Humanities Center here in Durham and by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, MA. “Restoring Our Vitality: The Heart of the Matter and the Future of the Humanities” will look back at how the humanities have fared since the publication of The Heart of the Matter report in 2013 and explore what must be done in the decade to come. I’m particularly excited that I’ll be joined by NEH Chair Shelly Lowe and visionary writer Amitav Ghosh for the concluding events in that series on April 4.
We’ll be discussing the humanities’ path forward, not only as academic subjects and scholarly practices, but in terms of what will be needed to ensure that humanities insights are properly valued and readily available to guide all our collective futures.
Be watching for more news about this in the months ahead. In the meantime, warm wishes to everyone celebrating the holiday season. Here’s hoping for a more compassionate, bountiful, and brighter year to come.