Humanities for Humans

Can the academic humanities serve the general public to address the critical challenges we all face today? This unusual volume builds on the conversation series "Humanities for Humans," curated by Irene Kacandes and funded by the De Gruyter Foundation and the New York nonprofit 1014: Space for Ideas to answer this question in the affirmative. By asking some of the smartest academics in North America to think aloud in clear language on topics like racism, migration, inequality, sustainability, building connection and working toward repair of our communities, this book demonstrates the ultimate value of the imagination in solving seemingly intractable problems. The authors define and distinguish. They offer historical context and concrete examples from North and South America, from Europe, from indigenous cultures, from artists and ordinary folk. By also sharing about their own personal trajectories, these authors demonstrate not only the value of training in the humanities fields, but also that top scholars are indeed human like the rest of us.