1. State of the Humanities

We are running a brief online survey to find out more about the present challenges for humanities research and teaching, the characteristics of the humanities workforce, and how and where the humanities have contracted and expanded across the university sector.

This knowledge will help us present a better case for support and advancement of the humanities.

If you've not done the survey, please click here to take the survey.

If you have done the survey and would like to send us further comments please email

Questions we're particularly interested in:

• What do you most like about working in the humanities? What do most dislike?
• What are the points of congruence and misalignment between teaching and research? How could this be improved?
• How optimistic are you about the future of your discipline, and why?
• What does an academic career look like for the next generation of humanities scholars? What needs to be done to improve the outlook?

2. Humanities and Arts International Research Collaboration

From April to November 2009, the Australian Academy of the Humanities ran an online survey to find out about collaborative research between Australian humanities and arts scholars and colleagues abroad.

The survey was aimed at all researchers in arts and humanities disciplines in Australia, including independent scholars.

We wanted to know more about your past, current and potential international research collaboration—activities ranging from participation in networks and conferences through to more sustained and formalised research projects.

The response to the survey was fantastic—revealing, candid and generous—and invaluable in helping to shape the new International Science Linkages Humanities and Creative Arts programme to the benefit of all Australian scholars in these fields.