B&B chapter 5:
Humanities Politicized: A Postdoc Panel on Value, Trust, and Public Impact
In an era where the validity of scientific research is increasingly called into question, the academic community faces growing uncertainty. Among all research fields, the humanities have long been familiar with this pressure, often having to defend their value in a world preoccupied with utility and profit. The Washington University Postdoc Society (WUPS) recently hosted a panel discussion moderated by Prof. Talia Dan-Cohen from the Department of Anthropology and brought together four postdoctoral researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to explore how scholars can respond to distrust in science and navigate conversations around difficult, politicized topics without being shut down.
Meet the Panelists
From left to right: Prof. Talia Dan-Cohen, Dr. Jesse Lee, Dr. Marc Blanc, Dr. Jessica Samuel, and Dr. Danielle Williams (Picture taken by Andrea Gokus)
Dr. Jesse J. Lee
Postdoctoral Research Associate, John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics
Dr. Lee studies Japanese American Buddhism and law in the early 20th century, and focuses on how religion, race, and citizenship intersect in the U.S. legal system.
Dr. Jessica Samuel
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of African and African-American Studies
Dr. Samuel’s research explores the history of education and U.S. colonialism in the Virgin Islands, with a focus on the relationships between race, place, and power.
Dr. Danielle J. Williams
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Modeling Interdisciplinary Inquiry
Dr. Williams is trained in the philosophy of science, and her work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, cognitive science, and AI.
Dr. Marc Blanc
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of English
Dr. Blanc focuses on race, protest, and utopia in U.S. literature, particularly how Black radicalism and social movements are represented and remembered.
The panel opened with each speaker introducing how their work intersects with the politicization of the humanities. Dr. Lee highlighted that seemingly stable principles, such as birthright citizenship, can always face being under pressure. Dr. Blanc emphasized the importance of recovering both successes and failures of protest movements to challenge dominant narratives of American history. Dr. Samuel framed the humanities as a space to confront hard questions about race, place, and belonging, warning that calls for equality can sometimes erase deeper inequalities. Dr. Williams reflected on the risks of treating science as ideology-free, especially in the context of AI and technological change.
After their opening statements, Prof. Dan-Cohen presented the panelists with four questions.
Question 1: How do you define the value of the humanities?
The panelists agreed that the value of the humanities can’t and shouldn’t be reduced to profit or capital gain. Dr. Lee cautioned against using economic metrics as a measure of worth, arguing instead that the humanities help us understand truth, principles, and the foundations of a functional democracy. Dr. Samuel found the question itself troubling, as it reflects a broader erosion of support. She pointed out the stark disparity in postdoc numbers across fields, as a signal of where resources and value judgments are currently being directed.
Dr. Blanc emphasized that cutting humanities funding follows familiar patterns of political strategy, historically used to limit critical thought. He argued that humanities scholarship helps people recognize propaganda and develop the tools to push back against authoritarian ideas. Dr. Williams added that the humanities offer the frameworks to understand history, context, and large-scale ideas. Those skills are crucial, especially in a moment when political actors often refuse to engage on shared terms. She noted that many discussions aren’t even taking place on the same playing field anymore, making it difficult to move beyond instrumental or surface-level debates.
Question 2: How do you think about distrust in science (e.g., in your own teaching)?
Dr. Samuel pointed to anti-intellectualism, and how higher ed is often seen as inaccessible, a part of a system that excludes rather than uplifts. Politicians, Dr. Blanc added, often stoked fear and resentment toward “elites,” which is often a false justification to attack democratic institutions beyond prestigious universities. Dr. Lee offered a different angle: science hasn’t always been on the side of justice. In the past it’s been used to marginalize people, and now we’re dealing with a chaotic digital landscape where truth is hard to pin down. Humanities can help us figure out how to deal with this “wild west of information online”. Dr. Williams shared stories of one-on-one conversations where people outright dismissed psychology as made up. Instead of debating, she’s found it more useful to ask why they feel that way—and use that as a way into a bigger conversation about how science actually works.
Question 3: How do you think about communicating your research?
Dr. Samuel said her work often surprises people. She’s found it helpful to use improvisational strategies like “Yes, and…” when discussing complex or uncomfortable truths, especially around colonialism and national parks. For her, it’s about making things simple without flattening them. Dr. Blanc mentioned that local engagement is key. He writes about the Midwest and St. Louis and tries to involve the community directly through symposia and public events. Dr. Williams has learned to meet people where they are by keeping things broad and accessible, even if it means sacrificing some academic nuance. Dr. Lee shared that he often avoids using the word “religion” because it can trigger conspiracy theories or awkward conversions. Framing his work as “history” tends to go better, even though conversations can take unexpected turns still.
Question 4: Are there topics you cover in class that you wish more people knew about?
Dr. Lee described how his class in this spring semester ended up aligning closely with current political events, such as the Alien Enemies Act or the Korematsu dissent on Japanese internment. He noted how laws can be repurposed and misused in alarming ways. Dr. Blanc shared material from a class on Utopian fiction, including a Black nationalist novel from 1899, written during a time of deep political despair.
Dr. Williams spoke about how Cold War politics shaped today’s computer technologies. A lot of the research that went into computing was funded by military interest in bombs—so what we now call innovation was shaped by geopolitical priorities. Dr. Samuel teaches a course called “The Art of Black Healing,” which came out of the trauma following George Floyd’s murder. The course centers on frameworks of recognition, repair, and restoration, and explores how to process harm, both individually and historically.
The panel discussion concluded with opening the floor for questions from the audience.
How can we regain public memory about things like the benefits of vaccination?
Dr. Lee said that memory has been eroded or overwhelmed by newer, fear-based narratives. Stories, visuals, and emotional memory may be more powerful than facts alone. Dr. Samuels added that media plays a huge role, especially when people don’t have much background knowledge, and documenting lived experiences can help close that gap.
What can institutions do to push back against anti-science and defunding efforts?
Dr. Blanc called out the myth that pulling money from elite universities is “giving it back to the people.” In reality, local libraries and programs suffer when federal support vanishes. Dr. Samuels emphasized that universities need to show, clearly and publicly, what they actually do: how many jobs they support, how much community impact they have. Dr. Williams additionally remarked that many of the people affected, particularly grad students and postdocs, are also currently vulnerable in that an already difficult job market has become substantially worse, threatening our futures within our respective disciplines, making it difficult to understand our role in the resistance.
What about the growing hostility toward humanities and universities in general?
Dr. Samuel argued that education is supposed to help people become critical thinkers and not just replicate the world as it is. She pointed out that those who are angry about schools encouraging students to think about justice are often those who benefit from the status quo. Dr. Lee said polarization has made it harder to have slow, thoughtful conversations. We need more voices advocating from outside academia, too, and not just from behind the walls of the university.
(Article prepared by Andrea Gokus with support from ChatGPT)