Do the humanities still have a critical and emancipatory role today?

Bert Olivier

Abstract


It is no exaggeration to say that the humanities are under threat today. This paper is intended to explore some of the ways in which the inalienable critical-philosophical function of the humanities is threatened at present, and turns to Julia Kristeva’s notion of ‘revolt’, as well as comparable ideas in the work of Lacan (the ethical) and Foucault (‘error’ and the ‘marginal’), among others, for suggestions regarding the continued relevance, and indeed, the indispensable role of the humanities concerning the existence of a world which is recognizably human.


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