Envisioning the Future of Social Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

The global pandemic changed human life forever. Its waves swept across Higher Education, and the Social Sciences and Humanities also had to suddenly reshape their method of delivery to fit into the new contingent situation. The need for moving onto the virtual arena became ever so essential, given the fact that humanity struggled to move beyond its familiar physical landscape. The changes that these disciplines were expected to introduce to their content and delivery in the future became a reality overnight. Some were well prepared for this, but some were not. It was a sudden leap into the future, and there are so many success stories that need to be shared globally. Yet, there are stories in which students, teachers, and researchers showed real courage in overcoming certain challenges, virtual and otherwise, in this unexpected turn of events. Everyone had to rethink the strategies, content, evaluations, and methodologies involved in the face of this unforeseen challenge. Based on the nonconforming experience, this section opens a broader dialogue on visualizing the future of the Social Sciences and Humanities and the potential pedagogical, ontological, methodological, and theoretical challenges that may yet arise in the twenty-first century.