In recent years, a way out of the crisis in cultural studies has been sought through research, conferences, projects, the founding of new academic institutions or societies, manifestoes and the like. Following the "International Memorandum on the Promotion of the Humanities" (promulgated on the 16th of September, 1996 in St. Petersbrug and presented to the EU Commissioner, Edith Cresson, on the 8th of October,1996), the conference in Innsbruck constitutes a further step towards self-determination in respect of the future path of the Humanities by the scientists and academics actually involved in the field. This should be understood, however, in the context of generalised change both in society and the scientific community. A subsequent exhibition planned for the second half of 1998 in Brussels, and bearing the title "The Humanities and Europe", will hopefully contribute further to a deepening of the public´s awareness of the importance of the Humanities.
The Innsbruck conference aims to look beyond the minutiae of individual studies, research problems, small-scale projects etc. and to work towards a systemisation of scholarly tasks facing practitioners in the field. Among these, the following merit specific attention: consideration of the history of the Humanities, examination of academic institutions, structural analysis of such institutions, the implications of applying the most modern technology, social relevance, analysis of funding, optimisation of scientific communication, intensification of public perception of the relevance of the Humanities, transdisciplinary and trans-national projects, the general structure of science in Europe, analysis of the correlations between European science and that of other continents, the overlap between research areas in literature and linguistics and other areas of the Humanities.
A characteristic of the Humanities is their remarkably wide range of topics, methods, orientation and so forth. Likewise the discussions and debates to which they give rise are characterised both by mutuality and diversity. However in view of the nature of the work on the history of science so far available, which consists of material relating to the analysis and comparison of institutions (country-specific, formal data etc.), the Innsbruck conference may only realistically be expected to yield interim results for incorporation into the broader research process.
In order to arrive at precise and concrete results (whether interim or not), some specific questions will be set out at the beginning of the proceedings and participants will be asked to bear these in mind insofar as they are, to greater or lesser extent, relevant to the topics discussed in individual sections of the conference. The problems to be addressed may be summarised as follows:
1. To what extent have literature and linguistics contributed to mutuality and diversity in the cultural developments of Europe and of its regions? What were the specific fields of research? What have been the methods and concepts actually adopted by academics in the field? In what form were their results presented? What interaction occurred between politics, society and science which influenced the initiation and orientation of teaching modules, the identification of research topics and so forth?
2. The structure of academic studies in the field of literature and linguistics varies from country to country. It is therefore necessary to identify the concrete form taken by contemporary institutions (that is, their structural profile in universities and academies, as also in other teaching and research institutes). To be examined also is their effectiveness in the context of current European developments, their overall performance, the constraints within which they operate and their prospects for the future.
3. Literature itself may be regarded as an inherently international topic. Literary movements such as Dadaism, Realism, the Baroque etc. are not limited by regional or national (ethnic) boundaries. By the same token, languages are never "pure", but rather exhibit to a greater or lesser extent traces of linguistic miscegenation. It is therefore relevant to inquire into research initiatives that transcend borders, as well as research projects, research organisations and intercommunication of research concerned with literary and linguistic developments in Europe.
4. State-of-the-art technology has now begun to play an important role in literature and linguistics. The exchange of ideas is facilitated both by easier data retrieval and systemisation of the same, and more rapid and economic transmission of it to interested parties. A vast assortment of information is available on the internet. But how do librarians, academics and readers assess the possibilities and limits of these systems? Are they offered in a form that is suitable for academic treatment (for example, in terms of the relationship between design and analysis)? What new developments may be expected? What are the demands that academics and librarians make on the technical experts? What concrete projects having to do with research into European developments are the conference participants actually involved in?
5. As one can learn from the contemporary debate about culture, a substantial number of new institutions have been founded over the last ten years with the aim of documenting past and present developments in the field, and of making the relevant materials accessible. In particular one may cite the symbiosis that has developed between science and its sources of information (libraries, archives etc.). On the other hand, there are many examples to illustrate that old-fashioned rules, unproductive division of labour, and the lack of understanding for the importance of data still exercise a significant and retrogressive influence in literature and linguistic research, as elsewhere. A central question to be addressed therefore, concerns the raising of academic efficiency through an intensification of the collaboration between research and its information systems and a better understanding of the importance of data in the research process.
6. An important topic to consider is the structure of literature and linguistics studies in the university context. What could and should be the role of the universities today? What are the constraints within which they must operate? To what extent are they a part of the general research process? What changes to their structural profile and under what conditions - particularly in the context of European developments and "globalisation" - are possible or necessary? Which structures have proved themselves to be indispensable and productive?
7. In order to clarify European developments, it is necessary to examine the pattern of funding: what financial means (from the state or from private sources) are currently available? What money is required for which fields of research and research structures? What are the conditions under which subsidies and grants can be efficiently applied (by conditions is meant forms of organisation and communication, administration of funds on the basis of self-administration (as hitherto), or new forms of funds administration)? Further, what negative consequences may be expected from a perceptibly reduced importance being accorded to research relating to literature and language (also in the light of historical experience)? What counter-measures can be undertaken to prevent the reduction of funds available for research?
8. In the general area of scientific communication, several aspects should be particularly borne in mind, namely: communication within an institution, communication within a particular disciplinary field, transdisciplinary communication, communication within the international scientific community, and lastly communication and the nurturing of a relationship between the groves of academe and the public. It will therefore be helpful to examine concrete examples of communication modes, the use and application of technology, together with the profile and effects of science in the public domain.
9. In the second half of the 19th century, a close correlation between science and the nation developed in Europe, something which even today determines many aspects of scientific activity. It is necessary therefore to examine the identity and diversity of nations, languages and art in the general context of European development (and, by the same token, identity and diversity in specific regional and European developments).
10. Research in Europe does not take place in integrated, nor
yet in isolated conditions. It is therefore worth asking where are there
communities of interest, and where are there lines of division. Between
the research of EU countries and non-EU countries? How is research perceived
in European and non-European countries respectively? What contribution
does research in non-European countries make to research in the European
context? And what relationship does it have to European science? What methods
does it use? What relationship do other disciplines in the Humanities have
to those of literature and linguistics? What co-operation is necessary,
in respect of topics that overlap various fields?
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
