“Reframing the Humanities as Useful,” session on “From Thinking to Doing: Making the Humanities Public,” National Humanities Conference, Indianapolis, 26 October 2023.

  • Session information
  • Abstract: Alan Liu will draw on the findings of the Mellon Foundation funded “WhatEvery1Says” (WE1S) project he directed to suggest specific areas where innovative organizations, programs, structures, practices, and media are needed to design fresh ways of engaging the public with the humanities. These include ways to activate the material culture of the humanities (not just curated objects but the artifacts of citizens and local communities); create resources and practices for bridging between the “personal” humanities (e.g., a poem one loves) and community, state, national, and global humanities issues; experiment with new media forms to communicate the humanities; and draw on the experiences and heritage of underrepresented social groups.