The international forum “Transcending Humanism? Humanities, Post-humanities and Human-sustainability in the 21st Century,” is convened to mark the 20th anniversary of the College of Humanities at the National Taiwan University of Arts. Framed by a critical interrogation of the epistemological, ethical, aesthetical, and ontological foundations of humanism, the forum seeks to engage directly with the challenges posed by global sustainability agendas and shifting geopolitical realities. It critically examines how contemporary developments in politics, economics, society, ecology, and technology—particularly within Asia—are reshaping the research, teaching, and knowledge domains of the humanities. Through reflection on these transformations, as well as on the humanities’ responses, reconstructions, and reactions, the forum explores pathways toward the sustainability of human knowledge in the 21st century.
For centuries, humanism, grounded in the subjectivity of human beings and the capacities of human reason, has occupied a prominent position in both Eastern and Western intellectual traditions. Through observation, analysis, and critical inquiry, humanistic knowledge has sought to understand human emotions, ethics, and cognition while enabling humanity to comprehend and shape its natural and social environments. However, under conditions of late modernity characterized by disciplinary specialization and the increasing differentiation of knowledge, the influence of humanistic values has gradually declined.
This changing landscape compels scholars and educators in the humanities to confront a fundamental question: How can the humanities continue to justify their social relevance and public value in the face of unprecedented global challenges? Faced with these pressing questions, how can the faculty and students of UAS and NTUA move beyond the traditional confines of the academic ivory tower? How does university-based cultural practice and social engagement generate new forms of knowledge production, learning, and innovation? More fundamentally, how might the humanities and culture reclaim their leadership roles in contemporary society?
Looking toward the future, the forum invites critical reflection from colleagues in NTUA and UAS on how human beings might coexist more equitably and harmoniously with non-human species, ecological systems, artificial intelligence, technological infrastructures, and institutions. At a deeper level, it explores the transition from an anthropocentric worldview toward a more pluralistic and relational post-human condition, one that recognizes diverse forms of agency and interdependence. In doing so, the forum seeks to advance human-sustainability, and the renewal and transformation of humanistic knowledge in an increasingly shifting world.
Registration: https://forms.gle/AoJrt38p6gpbGqru7
