“Federal funding for research in the humanities is more limited than it is for the sciences,” the Australian Academy for the Humanities warns – and the Australian Research Council is not helping.
In its submission to the ARC’s review of its national competitive grants program, the Academy argues funding allocation is “skewed, mostly implicitly, but often explicitly towards the models of research practice typical of the sciences.” The under 5 per cent HASS success rate for Laureate fellowships demonstrates the difficulty for “researchers who are not working within an empirical or scientific tradition.” So does “strong anecdotal evidence” that researchers skew applications to demonstrate they address National Research Priorities.
This is despite best efforts by humanities researchers to retrofit research practice to meet ARC requirements.
Plus, the focus on research with commercial potential is a big part of the humanities’ problem. “The insistence on commercialisation works to commodify academic research in narrow and unproductive ways. … There is also the danger that the commercialisation of knowledge which was generated by the use of public funds can lead to purely private rather than public benefits.”
As for meeting National Research Priorities, they are “subject to significant variations in policy directions, frequent shifts in political interests … it cannot be regarded as an objective that has consistently stood above political influence. “
The Academy accordingly urges the ARC to spell out the “creation of new knowledge” which has “slipped off the policy agenda” as an objective.
The submission proposes a range of reforms, including opportunities for young researchers, increasing cross-collaboration across disciplines and changing the mix of research programs. But the apparent basis for all of them is the assumption that humanities research applications are disadvantaged from the start.
“There is a widespread assumption among humanities researchers that there is an ARC ‘line’ on what makes a successful application works against diversity and the more speculative, innovative, theoretical or risky proposals.”
“If the ARC wishes to support research in the humanities, it must do more to tailor its programs in ways that acknowledge and facilitate excellent research in the humanities.”
