LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Humanities and the Public
To the Editor:
I was happy to see Patricia Nelson Limerick's lively account of the rewards of engaging in "applied" humanities work ("Tales of Western Adventure," Careers, May 9). Her work at the Center of the American West is an outstanding illustration of the dual benefits of scholar satisfaction and public benefit that can result from such engagement. I would like to offer another powerful illustration: the work of the 56 state humanities councils, the state-based partners of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through humanities-council programs, scholars have helped groups on various sides of difficult public-policy issues work their way to common ground, led citizens to a deeper understanding of the many cultures and religions in their communities, and made public anniversaries the occasions for reflection and learning. Repeatedly, scholars who work with these programs confirm that the engagement with the public sharpens their understanding of their disciplines and compels them to translate their work into real-world terms. As Limerick points out, that is an exchange that offers rewards to scholars as well as citizens. It also puts the humanities in the public square, just where they belong.
Esther Mackintosh President Federation of State Humanities Councils Arlington, Va.
The Chronicle Review, Volume 54, Issue 40, Page A39