The Global Humanities Project seeks to highlight the importance of the global humanities in higher education, provide a platform for ongoing meaningful dialogue and create a network of globally-connected universities working to shape global humanities as a central commitment in higher education. The objectives of the initiative are not only a call to action, but also a celebration of the humanities.
Beginning in the spring of 2014, Boğaziçi University began its collaboration with The George Washington University and Al Akhawayn University to produce a series of interconnected events drawing on the humanities in different national and cultural contexts. These collaborations are designed to highlight the value and celebrate the contributions of the humanities to society around the globe.
Each institution has appointed a Faculty Advisory Council to participate in colloquiums focused on different topics in the humanities. The first of these was hosted by The George Washington University in March 2014. The themes were:
Narrative and Identity : How individuals shape a sense of self, past present and future, through narrative. Opportunities to produce, study, analyze and discuss narratives encourages ability to reflect on and nourish a strong sense self in community, to communicate complex ideas, and to take positive action on behalf of oneself and society.
Humanities as Pure Discipline or Social Intervention: When we require of the humanities that they contribute to applied science or economics, as when we claim that humanists help produce better outcomes in economic development projects or city planning, are we shortchanging the idea of the humanities of appropriate subjects of study, true disciplines as opposed to practical tactics?
Religion and the Humanities: Belief systems, including religious practices, form the basis of culture and in many cases, of identity. By learning about the history and beliefs of others, or by exploring the history of our own religion, we provide respectful, scholarly opportunity to those both inside and outside of a given set of religious beliefs. Can the study of religion as an academic discipline shed light on prejudices and improve relations among different peoples? If so, how do we include in our humanities offerings objective, meaningful, and scholarly study of the history of the world's major religions?
It is now Boğaziçi University’s turn to host the Global Humanities Project. We hope that the series of session taking place here in Istanbul will provide participants with the opportunity to continue the valuable discussions started in Washington, D.C. and to discover new horizons through the themes that will be addressed here.
