CKCU Literary News
Wednesday March 30th, 2022 with Hans G. Ruprecht
Critical perspectives upon the study of Humanities: History and current crisis; in collaboration with New Books Network.

Prof. Paul REITTER and Prof. Chad WELLMON, who are co-authors of 'Permanent Crisis -The Humanities in a Disenchanted Age' (UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS 2021) speak with NBn host Dr. Alexandra Ortolja-Baird about their book. DESCRIPTION "Today’s humanities scholars experience and react to basic pressures in ways that are strikingly similar to their nineteenth-century German counterparts. The humanities came into their own as scholars framed their work as a unique resource for resolving crises of meaning and value that threatened other cultural or social goods. The self-understanding of the modern humanities didn’t merely take shape in response to a perceived crisis; it also made crisis a core part of its project. Through this critical, historical perspective, Permanent Crisis can take scholars and anyone who cares about the humanities beyond the usual scolding, exhorting, and hand-wringing into clearer, more effective thinking about the fate of the humanities. Building on ideas from Max Weber and Friedrich Nietzsche to Helen Small and Danielle Allen, Reitter and Wellmon dig into the very idea of the humanities as a way to find meaning and coherence in the world. Paul Reitter is professor of Germanic languages and literatures at the Ohio State University. He is the author and editor of many books, including The Anti-Journalist: Karl Kraus and Jewish Self-Fashioning in Fin-de-Siecle Europe. Chad Wellmon is professor of German studies and history at the University of Virginia. He is the author and editor of many books, The Rise of the Research University: A Sourcebook and Organizing Enlightenment: Information Overload and the Invention of the Modern Research University. Dr. Alexandra Ortolja-Baird is Lecturer in Digital History and Culture at the University of Portsmouth." Credit: https://newbooksnetwork.com/paul-reitter-and-chad-wellmon-permanent-crisis-the-humanities-in-a-disenchanted-age-u-chicago-press-2021