Myths and the Academy: Greek Studies as a Form of Humanistic Enquiry

Abstract

Greek tragedy was primarily interested in radical reversals as a site for hopeful and potentially redemptive personal and cultural transformations. I wish to argue that this provides a helpful ethical and political template for thinking about (1) Greek studies as an essential form of humanities in the context of an interrogation of the virtues of public scholarship; (2) the troubled place of the humanities in times of fiscal crisis; and (3) the humanities as a central site for new interdisciplinary initiatives at many colleges and universities. The challenge is to distinguish promise from pitfall in order to elevate the former and avoid the latter to the degree possible in the face of all-too-apparent contemporary fiscal constraints.