words matter

The word "humanities" has grown on me.

We are in the midst of a conversation, my colleagues and me, about whether to retain the word "humanities" in the names of our organizations.

Initially, I was all for abandoning the weighty word, in favor of something simpler, perhaps more understandable. As I have delved deeper into the work of the public (or "applied" if you prefer) humanities, over these last three years, I have discovered that really, I am not willing to give up the word that does, in fact, encompass what we do.

There is the sense among some that by talking about "building community," we are being clearer about our mission and purpose. I am not sure that I agree. Community-building has become such a ubiquitous phrase as to be nearly meaningless. I think that we do, of course, help to strengthen ties between people, which does, in fact, build communities. But the methods we use to do that are different from those of real estate developers, or social service agencies, or neighborhood advocacy groups, all of which could claim that they, too, build communities.

So, for now, I will continue to use the word "humanities" as frequently and in as many situations as I can. I will take any puzzlement or confusion on the part of listeners as an opportunity to engage in conversation about the term, and leave the community building for another day.