Universities must ‘speak up more about value of humanities’

Universities are not doing enough to highlight the value of the social sciences and humanities, a higher education leader has warned as European Union funding programmes and politicians increasingly focus on competitiveness and economic returns. 

Speaking at the annual conference of the European University Association (EUA) in Istanbul, the secretary general of the Flemish Interuniversity Council, Koen Verlaeckt, said these disciplines had come under growing political pressure in Europe and the rest of the world. 

“I’m very worried about the state of play of humanities and social sciences. In my own region, they are under threat, a growing threat,” he said. 

“Several politicians openly say that if you look closely, they don’t contribute to competitiveness and productivity. They say they are nice to have, but let’s not focus too much on them."

His comments come as the EU is preparing the next iteration of its major funding programmes, the successor to Horizon Europe and the next phase of Erasmus+, both of which are expected to put a greater emphasis on competitiveness, which focuses on Europe’s ability to boost economic growth and innovation. The aim is to close productivity gaps with China and the US. 

Verlaeckt said universities and academics need to play a more active role in defending the humanities and social sciences in a policy environment that was increasingly focused on competitiveness, adding that input from these subject areas was crucial to addressing the ethical and societal implications of new technologies. 

“We need very strong advocacy for social sciences and humanities,” he said, adding that the EUA should take a leading role. “Think about defence research. How can you develop it without risking societal damage?” 

Hans Adolfsson, president of Stockholm University, had similar concerns. He said political discourse in Sweden was increasingly dominated by a narrow focus on science and technology.

“Politicians constantly talk about the importance of STEM, the importance of engineering, and that seems to be the solution to absolutely everything,” he said. “We try to share our view, but they don’t listen to us.”

Both leaders pointed to a stronger emphasis on skills and labour market outcomes in the next phase of Erasmus+ programme. 

“In the proposal for Erasmus+, there is a clear shift towards skills, strategic sectors and competitiveness,” Verlaeckt said. “We have to make sure it’s much more than just a skills pipeline. It’s also about democratic values, social cohesion and intercultural understanding.”

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com