On September 6, 2024, the Center for Humanities Communication (CHC) led at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge, Mass., a first of its kind event (by invitation only): a Humanities Communication Convening of humanities organization leaders with leaders in science communication, journalism and media, communication, public relations, advocacy, social media, and other fields. (Agenda — Participants — Briefing Kit)
The convening’s purpose was to bring together in the format of a summit meeting leaders of major humanities organizations (non-disciplinary for this event) who are passionate about effective public communication and leaders in other areas with deeper, more practiced, or more innovative experience in communicating with society. One goal was for the humanities to learn how better to present its materials, media, forms, and ultimately values in vibrant public communication. Even more foundationally, another goal was for the the humanities to learn how to internalize the idea and practice of “communication” in its self-concept and professional training. What can science communication with its robust methods, training, and career tracks teach the humanities in this regard? What similarities between humanities and science communication might lead to collaboration between their practioners? But, also, what differences must there be between the humanities and sciences in public communication?
The event included participation (as speakers and/or members of breakout discussion groups) almost 30 leaders in the humanities, science communication, media and journalism, strategic advocacy, and other areas. Leaders and program officers of foundations and funding agencies that support the humanities also attended. Though the convening was by-invitation only so that participants can concentrate on face-to-face sharing of their best ideas on humanities communication, the CHC will later report out on ideas and directions that emerged from the event in a white paper for the NEH as well as blog posts. The CHC has also made public the Briefing Kit and appendices containing background portfolios on science communication and the humanities (and humanities communication) it prepared to prepare convening participats for discussion at the event.
Co-sponsoring the convening was the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)1 and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, which hosted the event at its headquarters and assisted with logistics and arrangements.
What can science communication with its robust methods, training, and career tracks teach the humanities…? What similarities between humanities and science communication might lead to collaboration between their practioners? But, also, what differences must there be between the humanities and sciences in public communication?
The original proposal for a NEH Chair’s Grant from the CHC (and its fiscal sponsor the AAC&U) made the case for a Humanities Communication Convening event as follows:
Humanities scholars and advocates are aware of the urgent need today to communicate both the substance and value of the humanities to society–including to such sectors crucial to the future of the humanities as young people from diverse backgrounds, and audiences of all ages absorbing their most meaningful cultural experiences from new media, social media, and other non-traditional forms. But humanities scholars and advocates also recognize with humility how much they do not know professionally about other fields that effectively address society such as science communication, journalism, social media content creation, public relations, and design. For example, though the Center for Humanities Communication has begun researching the traditions, methods, organizations, curricula, and scholarship of science communication (see CHC Bibliography under Related: Science Communication) and has included on its team a scholar (Professor Anke Finger, U. Connecticut–Storrs) serving as liaison to the science-communication research and teaching community, it knows how much it has to learn simply from meeting and talking directly to people experienced in science communication and other fields. A NEH Chair’s Grant for a “Humanities Communication Convening” will be foundational not just for the AAC&U and CHC but also the humanities broadly in advancing the ideas and strategies needed to better communicate the humanities.
One of the main goals of the convening is intellectual. With the aid of invited outside experts across fields, the convening will formulate a well-defined concept of “humanities communication” in relation to other areas of public communication assisted by professional communicators such as science communication. Humanities communication, we know, is not just the same as scholarship or teaching. Nor need it be exactly the same as science communication, journalism, public relations, or social media content creation per se. So what conceptually should humanities communication be and do? Who can be effective “humanities communicators” in society today? What are specific audiences in society that the humanities need to communicate with? And for those audiences, how can the humanities communicate its work in the most effective media and forms?
The other main goal of the “Humanities Communication Convening” is to apply the combined expertise of humanities advocates and those from other public-facing fields to strategize the training programs, shared resources, and professional recognition needed to develop and support effective humanities communicators (including humanities students and early-career scholars who would benefit from an additional professionalization and job placement pipeline similar to that which science-communication programs provide for scientists in training). This goal is in essence to create a high-level “five-year plan” for intellectual, professional, and technical next steps in building a support structure for humanities communicators. Such a plan benefits not only the AAC&U and CHC but other humanities organizations in guiding their future development. In concrete terms, such a plan will guide the AAC&U, CHC, and other humanities organizations or initiatives in seeking next-stage seed grants and implementation grants to develop effective public humanities communication.
The organizers were Alan Liu and Christine Henseler (co-Presidents of the CHC) with Kath Burton and Anke Finger on the CHC leadership team. Generously lending their assistance in organization were Robert B. Townsend, Program Director for Humanities, Arts, and Culture at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (a member of the CHC’s Advisory Board) and the events team at the American Academy.
- The CHC and its fiscal sponsor, the American Association of Colleges & Universities, received a NEH Chair’s Grant for the event from Shelly C. Lowe, Chair of the NEH. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed (in this document and the event), do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. ↩︎
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