1st Edition

Interdiscipline A Future for Literary Studies and the Humanities

By Petar Ramadanovic Copyright 2022
    262 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    262 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This book brings together two different discussions on the value of the humanities and a broader debate on interdisciplinary scholarship in order to propose a new way beyond current threats to the humanities. Petar Ramadanovic offers nothing short of a drastic rehaul of our approaches to literary scholarship, the humanities, and university systems.

    Beginning with an analysis of what is often referred to as the "crises" in the humanities, the author looks at the specifics of literary studies, but also issues around working conditions for academics. From precarity and pay conditions to peer review, the book has practical as well as theoretical implications that will resonate throughout the humanities. While most books defending the humanities emphasize the uniqueness of the subject or area, Ramadanovic does the opposite, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinarity and combined knowledge. This proposal is then fully explored through literary studies, and its potential throughout the humanities and beyond, into the sciences.

    Interdiscipline is not just a defense of literature and the humanities; it offers a clear and inspiring pathway forwards, drawing on all disciplines to show their cultural and social significance. The book is important reading for all scholars of literary studies, and also throughout the humanities.

    Introduction: From Crises Discourses to Interdisciplinary Discipline  1. "We": Crises Responses and Literary Studies as a Theory of Interpretation  2. Mere Reading: Recasting Hermeneutic Epistemology in Literary Studies  3. Peer Review: Evaluation as a Form of Reading  4. What DH?: Return to Formalism in the Age of Big Data  5. Convergence: An Interdisciplinary Theory of Interdisciplinarity  Conclusion: Interdisciplinary Curricular Organization and the Glue that Holds It Together

    Biography

    Petar Ramadanovic is Professor of English at the University of New Hampshire, USA.