Annual Symposium 2022

The 2022 Annual Symposium Lecture was delivered by Oxford’s Professor Helen Small on the subject "The Humanities (In and After the Pandemic)".

COVID-19 saw the Humanities enrolled in the service of science and society. Professor Small’s lecture considered efforts at articulating the public good of the Humanities in the context of the pandemic crisis and subsequent pressures on the economic and political contexts of university research. In her lecture Professor Small paid particular attention to the terms of engagement on which some social scientists and scientists, encountering public resistance to their expertise, sought assistance from the Humanities.

In particular, Professor Small examined the crisis of care in the UK. In relation to this politics of care, Professor Small explained why (even) high-level efforts at cross-disciplinary collaboration often falter—and identified ways of alleviating the difficulties.

The lecture was followed by the discussion of Professor Simon Reid-Henry and Professor Helen Small who also addressed the questions from the audience.

The recording of the event is available on IHSS Annual Symposium 2020 with Professor Thomas Piketty, Dr Heather Boushey and Dr Martin Sandbu.