Photo: Benjamin Crowell
Narcissus: Caravaggio, c.1598 - He fell in love with his own reflection. Are humanities and social science researchers making the same mistake?
The humanities and social sciences are rife with narcissism and are obsessed with novelty over substance, say delegates at a recent academic conference in Brussels.
This is according to the British news site Timeshighereducation.com.
»Highly competitive, image-oriented, substance-avoiding, ultra-innovative, quotation-obsessed individualists.«
With these less than flattering words, Sasa Bozic, associate professor of sociology at the University of Zadar, Croatia, describes his peers.
Bozic and other attendees at the 'Future of the Humanities and Social Sciences' conference criticise the »constant search for novelty« which has overshadowed scholary substance in research, and devalued work which confirms existing knowlege.
Bozic claims that this has made it difficult for the arts and social sciences to build a solid body of knowledge.
The result is that, »theories in the social sciences cannot predict much and their explanatory power is decreasing constantly,«he says.
Elizabeth Sundin, professor in business administration and management at Linkoping University, Sweden, fears that »the suicide of the social sciences« is looming.
She feels that for research to be useful, it must reflect the complexities of the social world.
However, international journals often demanded »one single score and conclusion in each article«, and this decreases the relevancy and legitimacy of research results, she says.
As well as airing their criticisms, the conference guests look to the future.
Philippe Keraudren, scientific officer for the SSH-Futures project at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research, is of the opinion that the circulation of social science and humanities results and knowledge within Europe is key.
Indeed, how to communicate was a hot topic, especially for Allan Janik, senior research fellow at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
While the humanities ought to aspire to wisdom, many academics »don't rise to the challenge, and address their peers rather than distressed mankind«, leaving the non-academic world to »fall back on 'how-to' books«, he says.
The conference was organised by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences (ICCR) in Vienna.
Its aim was to discuss how the Social Sciences and the Humanities can better equip themselves to match the current and future needs of society.
Gallery: International Fascination of Plants Day
Graphic: Where are the jobs in Europe?
Gallery: Life revue '12
Gallery: Physics Revue '12
Gallery: Canada students’ protest
Gallery: USG Dance show
Gallery: Party Watch, CSS Year Party '12
Gallery: War of the Wardrobes, Black Diamond, Copenhagen
Gallery: Spiders at the Zoological Museum
Gallery: Stars with Brains 2012 challenge
Gallery: Royal opening of 'Day of Research' 2012
Gallery: War of the Wardrobes, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris
Gallery: Taking hair sample from Egtved girl
Gallery: Fieldwork in Disko Bay, Greenland
Gallery: Research project is last hope for Danish ash trees
Gallery: Follow Marte's free work-out
Graphic: When do European students leave home?
Graphic: Dissatisfied European students
Gallery: War of the Wardrobes, Karolinska, Stockholm
War of the Wardrobes: Copenhagen art event You’ve graduated from uni and you can’t get a job. The local job centre tells you to work in a pizzeria or at the local supermarket. But is it a good move to do what they say? Here’s a qualified list of pros and cons from an expert
Write us an e-mail: uni-avis@adm.ku.dk
Copyright 2009 © Universitetsavisen.ku.dk