“Libraries are places where communities happen.”

Reflections on the NEH 50th Anniversary Democracy and the Humanities Symposium, Loyola University Maryland, September 26

On Saturday I attended the second day of the Democracy and the Humanities Symposium held at Loyola University Maryland in honor of the NEH turning 50 years old on September 29. The entire day encouraged me to think about our Don Quixote reading group in new ways.  

The first panel I attended was “Living in a Digital Age: The Humanities and Technology.” A theme among all panelists was about how the digital humanities utilize technology for community building. This seems especially relevant in our current social and political moment. Given the post-WWII emphasis on the university as the site of the production of research, academics have become increasingly removed from engaging with the general public. Sarah Werner, who is a former digital media specialist for the Folger Shakespeare Library, made a claim that resonated strongly with me: “Libraries are places where communities happen.” For Werner, as an academic who spent 10 years in a special collections library, there is an opportunity and a danger with technology. The opportunity is that previously inaccessible materials can be shared, sometimes in new ways (for example, we cannot all touch ancient texts, but perhaps we can zoom in closely on a digital scan and notice things about the text’s materiality). But there is a danger: that this accessibility will not lead to communities coming together.

It seems special to me that we have formed an in-person and digital community space around Don Quixote. Although the resources we are looking at are all accessible, having my colleague in the library Aimee curate interesting media and commentary on the Don Quixote resource guide puts fascinating interviews, articles, and other nuggets of gold at my fingertips. This is the work of the humanist: to help us sort through the vast amounts of information for those pieces that are meaningful. Further, people are able to participate in our group, even if they cannot (always or ever) be present in the library with us for our discussions.

After just two sessions, the reading group is changing the way I approach Don Quixote as a literary and cultural artifact. I love a good adventure story, and I love comedy. When I read Don Quixote over the summer (alone) I definitely had a good time. But our group is pushing me to think deeper about the text, Cervantes himself, and the significance--then and now--of this book that is heralded as the first modern novel. We all approach the text from different perspectives and from different backgrounds, whether from within academic settings or beyond them.

The last two sessions of the Symposium focused on the humanities and democratic citizenship. I am being challenged by these events to see our reading group as contributing to or cultivating a democratic process. Of those who have attended the reading group thus far, only a handful of us are academics. Most are students, staff, or community members. Many of our non-academic humanists bring more expertise, from past academic or from person experience, to the group than the academic humanists.

Dr. Danielle Allen, who gave a plenary address “On Participatory Readiness: Why the Humanities are Necessary for Democracy,” emphasized that there are at least three long-term goods that studying the humanities cultivates: the existential, the vocational, and the civic/political. I see our group as hitting on at least the existential and civic aspects. Comments by Dr. Scott Casper, a member of a panel discussion on democratic citizenship, spoke to me about the existential and civic dimensions of studying the humanities. Casper argued that the humanities can dis-locate us is a way that contributes to the cultivation of our empathy. It is not enough for students/humanists to see themselves/ourselves in the material we teach/explore. This work must connect us to people who, and experiences that, are not like us. In addition, as many speakers and participants stressed, the work of the humanities cannot be confined to the College or the University if we are to foster democratic citizenship. Humanities work takes place in libraries, community centers, and on the streets.

We’ve been asking these existential and political questions in our reading group. What does Don Quixote tell us about ourselves? How do its characters and its narrator shape the way we think about the human condition? What does Don Quixote tell us about the world we live in? How does Cervantes’ historical moment shape the way we read Don Quixote, not only as a work of 17th century Spanish literature, but as a novel that speaks to our current American and/or global situation?

The NEH is asking everyone to help them celebrate turning 50 on September 29 by sharing on social media or other platforms why you love the humanities. You can find more information here. I encourage all of us to participate. In addition to tweeting why I love the humanities, I’ll be posting why I love the humanities here on the Don Quixote blog. 

Here’s a hint--it relates to what we’ve been doing in our group. I hope you will join me in posting why you value the humanities. If you like, you can email me your statement or photo and I will post it for you.

Looking forward to our October 1 meeting!