Documentary ‘The Value of the Humanities’

What purpose do the Humanities serve and why do they matter? What is the present of the Humanities and what kind of future are they going towards? In the inspirational and critical documentary The Value of the Humanities, director Shanti van Dam interviews eight prominent thinkers and scholars about these profoundly relevant issues. Among them are Rosi Braidotti, Frits van Oostrom and Paul Schnabel. Between 20 and 26 September the documentary will be broadcast several times by VPRO on the theme channel NPOdoc.

The value of the Humanities is the object of many polemical discussions today. In both Europe and the US Humanities programmes are being shut down or downsized. Yet the Humanities are more productive and creative than ever. In the film, Rosi Braidotti (UU), Wendy Brown (California Berkeley), Paul Gilroy (King’s College London), Peter Galison (Harvard University), Joanna Bourke (Birkbeck College London), Frits van Oostrom (UU), Paul Schnabel (UU) and Gregg Lambert (Syracuse University) answer questions about the Humanities’ past and present, the main challenges and possible futures of the discipline that has shaped and continues shaping our understanding of what it means to be human.

For broadcasting dates and the trailer of the film, please visit: www.thevalueofthehumanities.com / www.dewaardevandegeesteswetenschappen.nl