Amanda Anderson and Simon During, "Humanities Theory" (Oxford UP, 2026)

In this episode of New Books in Education, host Morteza Hajizadeb interviews co-authors Dr. Amanda Anderson and Dr. Simon During about their collaborative book, *Humanities Theory*, published by Oxford University Press in 2025. The book, structured as two essays and a dialogue, challenges the dominant narrative of a 'crisis' in the humanities by reframing the humanities not as a set of academic disciplines but as a vast, dynamic 'humanities world'—a global, interdisciplinary ecosystem that includes universities, public platforms, media, and digital spaces. Anderson and During argue that the humanities are not in decline but undergoing profound transformation due to forces like cultural secularization, internationalism, and the rise of AI. They emphasize that the academic humanities, while under threat from defunding, remain central to sustaining broader cultural and intellectual life. The conversation explores how public discourse misrepresents the humanities by conflating declining enrollment with declining value, and how value pluralism—encompassing advocacy, neutrality, and imaginative practices like 'critical fabulation'—is essential to understanding the field's complexity. The authors also address the need for decolonization and global integration of non-Western intellectual traditions, cautioning that such efforts are shaped by global capitalism and may reproduce existing inequalities. The episode concludes with a reflection on the future of literary studies, the role of critique and post-critique, and the evolving nature of engaged scholarship. Both authors stress the importance of protecting intellectual diversity and resisting ideological caricatures of the humanities. Key takeaways include: (1) The humanities are not a monolith but a pluralistic, world-spanning domain; (2) The crisis narrative misdiagnoses the problem—academic funding is under threat, but the humanities as a whole are thriving in public and digital spheres; (3) AI is not a replacement for human judgment but a catalyst for rethinking humanistic values like dignity and attention; (4) Value pluralism must be defended against both right-wing attacks and internal ideological homogenization; and (5) Global intellectual traditions must be integrated not as tokens but as active participants in a shared, evolving humanities world. The overall tone is cautiously optimistic, emphasizing resilience, transformation, and the enduring relevance of humanistic inquiry.