ABSTRACT
Drawing on the results of this volume, this chapter reflects on the role of the integrative humanities in contemporary knowledge policies. It identifies a long-standing tension in the history of the humanities between, on the one hand, an orientation toward integrative knowledge production, social responsiveness, and communication, and, on the other hand, a marginalizing tendency of reactive critique and disciplinary-bound self-reflection. The chapter situates the continuous relevance of this tension in the context of three overlapping policy regimes, and the emergence of a modern framework for policy work in Sweden in the last half-century. The chapter concludes by taking a more normative approach, arguing that a principal contribution of the humanities to contemporary knowledge politics lies in their public orientation.
