Threatening the University--The Liberal Arts and the Economization of Culture

In response to Geoffrey Harpham's plea for a greater effort to explain the humanities to the public in order to secure funding for them, Fludernik argues that, useful as that proposal is, it emphasizes the distinctness of the humanities vis a vis the sciences too much. She herself insists that all disciplines, scientific and otherwise, share a common ground in servicing human curiosity about the word and humanity, and that therefore public relations efforts should emphasize the long-term uses of academic endeavor.