Feet beneath the table 1956, Charles Blackman

© Charles Blackman/Copyright Agency, 2018, image kindly provided by the National Gallery of Victoria

We live at a time when declining trust in institutions of governance coincides with an increasingly rapid and constant communication.  This dynamic has facilitated the spread of false claims and prejudice. Expertise is discredited in public debate as popular wisdom usurps reasoned evidence-based argument.

With their focus on the human condition and the fostering of creativity, humanities and social science disciplines are arguably more important than ever. Yet they struggle to retain their place of significance in the face of ever-increasing assaults on their integrity. Genuinely critical scholarship is snubbed while prominent public figures proclaim that ‘truth isn’t truth’ or they promote intervention via philanthropy in the curriculum of public universities.

This panel explores the meaning of these truth-challenged times and the value of the humanities in understanding the adaptation to change, in preserving the cultures and communities we cherish, and where necessary, in revealing and resisting the more damaging and divisive effects of new cultural forces on democracy.

This event is hosted by the Victoria Chapter and we thank the University of Melbourne for their generous sponsorship. The event starts at 6:00pm with cocktail reception from 6:00 - 6:40pm and formal proceedings starting at 6:45pm.

The event is being led by Prof Diane Kirkby and Dr Alice Garner. We are delighted that at this year's Salon, US Consul General Michael Kleine will officially launch Prof Diane Kirkby and Dr Alice Garner's new book, "Academic Ambassadors, Pacific Allies: Australia, America and the Fulbright Program".

Speakers include:

• US Consul General to Victoria, Michael F. Kleine

•  Diane Kirkby, Fulbright alum, Professor of Law and Humanities at the University of Technology Sydney, and Research Professor (Emeritus) in History at La Trobe University

• Prof Dennis Altman (La Trobe University and Fulbright alumnus)

•  Phillipa McGuinness (author and publisher)

For speaker biographies visit the full event details here.