Book review: Humanities in the twenty-first century: beyond utility and markets

"Humanities in the Twenty-First Century: Beyond Utility and Markets." Eleonora Belfiore and Anna Upchurch. Palgrave Macmillan. July 2013. --- What is the value of the arts and humanities today? This question points to a long and extensively discussed dilemma. This collection of original essays aims to offer examples that show that, rather than relying on the narrowly utilitarian notion of ‘research impact’ that has developed within current educational policies and debates, it may be more appropriate to look at the ways in which arts and humanities research is already engaged in collaborative endeavours, both within academia and beyond, in order to address the big ethical, political, technological and environmental challenges of contemporary life. Reviewed by Paul Benneworth.