Why should governments invest public money funding research into ancient Greek tragedy or philosophical conundrums? Does such research deliver 'value for money' and 'public benefit'? In this book a group of distinguished humanities researchers reflect on the public value of their discipline, using particular research projects as case-studies.

Introduction; Part One: Learning from the Past: The Long View Jonathan Bate; Fram, Trackers and Classics: Classical Scholarship and the Staging of Ancient Greek Drama Mary Beard; The Value of Archaeological Research Mike Parker Pearson; The Literary Heritage and National Identity Robert Hampson; Why Religious History Matters John Wolffe; The Value of Genoicide Studies Jurgen Zimmerer; 'This is a Local Film': The Cultural and Social Impact of the Mitchell and Kenyon Film Collection Vanessa Toulmin; Literary Research and the Conduct of Life: Nineteenth Century Debates on the Value of the Humanities Francis O'Gorman. Part Two: Looking Around Us: Architecture: Why Society Needs Researchers to Think About Building and the Built Environment Iain Borden; Architectural History: Research into Buildings and their Places Deborah Howard; Landscape, Environment and Heritage Stephen Daniels and Ben Cowell; Making a Home: English Culture and English Landscape Matthew Johnson; Accidental Haiku: The Educational Value of Thinking about Poetry and Landscape Together Catherine Brace; A Museum Perspective: The Centrality of Research to the Work of Museums and the Creation of Exhibitions Christopher Breward; 'All this Useless Beauty': The Hidden Value of Research in Art and Design Mike Press; 'Sorting the Sheep from the Sheep': The Relationship between Academic Research and the Creative Industries Richard Howells. Part Three: Using Words, Thinking Hard: Why Socio-Linguistics Matters April McMahon et al; Communication and Community: How Language Research May Contribute to Social Cohesion John Joseph; The Art of Evaluation: The Value of Literary Criticism Ronan McDonald; 'And Your Point Is...?' What is Anthropology and Why Does it Matter? Chris Gosden; Philosophy and the Quest for the Unpredictable: Why Society Benefits from the Sorts of Questions that Philosophy Asks Nicholas Davey; Bibliography; Index

Why should governments invest public money funding research into ancient Greek tragedy or philosophical conundrums? Does such research deliver 'value for money' and 'public benefit'? In this book a group of distinguished humanities researchers reflect on the public value of their discipline, using particular research projects as case-studies.

In the 21st century, the traditional disciplinary boundaries of higher education are dissolving at remarkable speed. With The WISH List we aim to establish a framework for innovative forms of interdisciplinary publishing within the humanities, between the humanities and social sciences and even between the humanities and the hard sciences. The series emerges from the Humanities Research Centre at Warwick, a university that has been, from its foundation, at the forefront of interdisciplinary innovation in academia. Books in the series are short, mostly single-authored and characterized by strong argument or by a body of new research.