Golden State Today

The World Humanities Report, directed by Sara Guyer of UC Berkeley, has been released after a six-year global effort. The report highlights the importance of humanities in addressing challenges such as climate change, authoritarianism, and economic collapse. It includes 10 recommendations for protecting the humanities from extinction.

Sara Guyer, who serves as dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities at UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Science, emphasized the critical role of humanities in understanding human experiences and ensuring planetary survival. "We live in a world and planet under duress," she stated. "We are wanting for tools and concepts that foster change and help us live under these shared, if still uneven conditions."

The report is a collaboration among 230 scholars and writers who documented the state of humanities worldwide through essays, reports, and case studies. It suggests strategies such as investing in research, safeguarding freedom of inquiry, and preserving archives and languages.

Guyer noted that the project was initially intended to be completed by 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. The aim was to highlight the vitality of humanities research globally and provide policy recommendations to ensure its persistence.

In an interview with Sarah Fullerton for Berkeley News, Guyer discussed how different regions perceive humanities. She pointed out that while some areas like China have structured approaches within universities, others like Russia face isolation due to political pressures on critical humanities.

Guyer also addressed how technology poses challenges but highlighted that humanities can offer insights into ethical considerations beyond scientific understanding. "The humanities go beyond ethics to reveal how we imagine the future," she explained.

Despite threats to their existence, Guyer believes this is not a crisis moment but one of risk. She emphasized supporting academic freedom and fostering diverse research methods as essential steps toward sustaining the field.

One significant insight from James Shulman of the American Council of Learned Societies is that undergraduate students are crucial funding sources for humanities research. Guyer stressed the importance of hiring faculty and supporting graduate programs to maintain this pipeline.

At UC Berkeley, efforts are underway to encourage student engagement with humanities courses amid declining enrollments. Initiatives include collaborations with international universities through organizations like the Consortium for Humanities Centers and Institutes.

Guyer warned against reliance on authoritarian funders due to disinvestment from democratic states in open inquiry initiatives within universities. She urged reinvestment in institutional sustainability as outlined in their urgent recommendations: "What will happen if the newest supporters...are authoritarian actors?"