In an era when scholarly research is facing massive funding cuts, the humanities and social sciences (HSS) are at significant risk. The political campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion has served to intimidate those who study race, gender, and sexuality. Immigration restrictions are limiting visas for foreign scholars who enrich American academia as both students and faculty. Universities are slashing budgets, including by reducing the number of PhD students accepted into their graduate programs. These developments endanger not only researchers and universities but the entire ecosystem of scholarly publishing.
This session explores how funding cuts—coupled with broader political targeting of the humanities and social sciences and undermining of expertise—are destabilizing long-standing models of knowledge production and dissemination. It will discuss the distinct vulnerabilities of HSS publishing, from the fragility of small journals and scholarly societies to the precarity of editorial labor and infrastructure and discuss strategies for advocacy and resistance.
