OCH Publications > Oregon Humanities table of contents
Oregon Humanities is a journal of ideas and perspectives published three times a year by the Oregon Council for the Humanities. Each issue includes essays and articles that explore a particular theme from a variety of perspectives, broadening the ways in which readers think about a subject and providing a basis for further thoughtful discussion.
Spring 2008: Strangers
Letter from the Director
On the eve of my one-year anniversary at OCH, I've been thinking about the current national debate concerning the humanities and how it may shape the future of the Council.
At the last meeting of the Modern Language Association, top scholars argued about the purpose of the humanities, how they could "prove their worth." A month later, in the New York Times, American literary theorist Stanley Fish questioned the usefulness of the humanities. His conclusion: None whatsoever. "The humanities," he contended, "are their own good."
We at OCH believe that the humanities matter. But we also agree that it is hard to explain why. As opposed to empirical statements, what we have are stories--Humanity in Perspective students who continue to pursue education; community dialogue participants who gain deep insight into the beliefs of their neighbors; Oregon Humanities readers whose thinking and actions are changed because of an article or essay. And we have our own stories as well.
I am the granddaughter of eastern European immigrants. My family was poor, but upwardly mobile and eventually settled in the New York suburbs. I grew up hearing stories about what it meant to travel across continents and class barriers, and later wrote about the experience, seeking answers. What I came up with were questions that went beyond theorist Paulo Freire's fundamental questions of "what I do, how I do it, and what I do it with." Instead, I asked myself "why do I do what I do, and why do I believe what I believe?" When I started asking, I started teaching differently. I sought to serve disenfranchised students, I joined community organizations--I changed.
I believe the time has come to go beyond the fundamental questions, to implement and design programs where the humanities are of use "beyond their own good." Our programs rest on a passionate belief in the power of learning to change attitudes, lives, and the world. As executive director, I am exhilarated by the possibilities.
--Cara Ungar-Gutierrez, Executive Director
Published in the Spring 2008 issue of Oregon Humanities.
© 2008 Oregon Council for the Humanities
Masthead
- Kathleen Holt
- EDITOR
- Jennifer Viviano
- GRAPHIC DESIGN
Oregon Humanities, a journal of ideas and perspectives about the humanities, is published biannually by the Oregon Council for the Humanities, 812 SW Washington Street, Suite 225, Portland, Oregon 97205.
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