Cognitive Futures in the Humanities

The 'cognitive turn' of the late twentieth century has dramatically reconfigured the sciences in terms of both practice and theory, radically transforming conceptions of mind, thought and subjectivity. Its impact on critical understanding in humanistic disciplines beyond the sciences, such as literature and the arts, has yet to be properly identified, despite the obvious importance of such categories to the humanities. While a few dispersed scholars have adopted methodological insights from cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics over the past twenty years, nothing like a defined disciplinary field has emerged in either literary studies or cultural theory. It is increasingly evident that an assessment of how these approaches connect with one another, and can be mapped within the contemporary critical landscape, is now needed. At a moment often designated as 'after theory', to use Terry Eagleton's phrase, it is timely to formulate how cultural, aesthetic and historical interpretation - traditional aspirations of humanities disciplines - might be framed in ways that respond to shifts in understanding associated with the cognitive revolution.

This project will establish a formal apparatus for bringing together major international researchers engaged in this emergent field, for defining it more rigorously, and for stimulating new research. The network will facilitate communication among participants with expertise in the cognitive sciences, literary and cultural studies, linguistics, and philosophy, with the aim of examining the potential of methodologies drawn from the cognitive revolution for research in the humanities. Important work has already been produced, but the field remains fragmented and emergent. Initial ground was broken in the early 1990s with works such as Reuven Tsur's Towards a Theory of Cognitive Poetics (1992), Ellen Spolsky's Gaps in Nature (1993) and Mark Turner's The Literary Mind (1996). More recently, Alan Richardson's study of romanticism, The Neural Sublime (2010), and Patrick Colm Hogan's Understanding Nationalism (2010) have shown the potential for cognitive theory to be applied to literary, political and historical concepts. This network, which includes Spolsky, Turner and Richardson as steering group participants, seeks to build upon these individual studies in order to advance a coherent research paradigm for future humanities research.

To achieve this aim, the project will identify ways of rethinking the 'two cultures' tradition that has segregated scientific and humanistic ways of knowing. How can the cognitive sciences provide intellectual resources for advancing beyond this limiting configuration of methodologies? How might cognitive theory help us to redraw the nature/culture dichotomy? What models might be formulated to analyse cultural objects and forms that draw upon philosophy of mind, cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary accounts of mental and emotional processing? How could these models be applied systematically and sustainably by humanists? Into what wider post-humanist landscape (eco-criticism, systems theory, object-oriented philosophy) might the cognitive turn take cultural theory? The key participants will be invited to address their approach to these questions at an inaugural symposium, identifying research questions that will be examined by a wider academic audience at two major conferences linked to the network, including postgraduate researchers (8 PGR conference bursaries will be made competitively available). The project will thus contribute to knowledge and the development of new ideas within literary criticism, cultural theory, linguistics and empirical aesthetics. The outcomes will be of interest to scholars, scientists and creative practitioners working in relation to these fields, as well as to the growing academic audience for literature and science from a historical perspective. It will also increase public engagement with science regionally.

The last five years has seen a marked rise in public interest in the mind and brain as a consequence of the uptake in popular science publishing and television broadcasts. Bestselling books by the likes of Steven Rose and Steven Pinker in areas around neuroscience, neurobiology and genetics currently reach a mass readership, and television series such as BBC4's Brain Story (2011) have created a platform for the public discussion of issues raised by the emergence of cognitive science. Telling the story of how such science might relate to the arts (visual culture, poetry, music, objects) and challenge understanding of the relationship between creative culture and science, provides great opportunities for engaging the public.

The network will seek to explore these opportunities through four key pathways: firstly, we will attempt to find innovative ways of raising public engagement with the question of the mind/brain and the arts/science debate, working in collaboration with a major science museum, The Centre for Life in Newcastle upon Tyne, and through targeted public events organised with The Great Debate in Newcastle (http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/) and the British Science Association (http://www.britishscienceassociation.org). These organisations present excellent opportunities for interaction with relevant audiences, and qualitative feedback such as questionnaires will be used to measure how these events are valued by the public. We will draw on Life's expertise to enable network members to develop and deliver public engagement activities in their own areas; in this role, Life will serve as an impact consultation partner. Finally, the project team will work with the steering group to produce a review document evaluating the successes of the public engagement partnership.

The Centre for Life is one of Newcastle's high profile visitor attractions and welcomes a general public audience of thousands every year. Life's Director of Science Communications, Ian Simmons, will be part of the steering group and attend annual meetings and other events as appropriate, advising on forms of public engagement suitable to the findings of the network. A sustained relationship between Life and the network will enable us to achieve targeted impact both locally, by involving the community in the design of events, and nationally, by extending Life's expertise in public communications through the network. Life frequently holds successful events such as demonstrations, 'live science', and 'meet-the-scientist' events which regularly attract significant non-specialist audiences. Network members will take part in new events of this kind during the second year, allowing Life's staff and audiences to benefit from the network's international research expertise and particularly its work at the intersection of science and the arts, which has considerable potential for translation into innovative public engagement. Key beneficiaries will be the general public, including school-age children and young adults who make up an important part of Life's target visitorship. The project will also add value to Life's programme of activity in 2013, while increasing ties between the university and the region's cultural sector. Further, drawing on Life's contacts and in association with the British Science Association, the network will approach the Newcastle ScienceFest, a major annual event which has attracted over 80,000 adults, families and school children and generated over £1million worth of positive media coverage since 2009. The Great Debate, an organisation also with strong ties to ScienceFest, will be a partner for collaborative events in years one and two, which are likely to be part of its Schools Programme of sixth-form debates. Casper Hewett, the Director of the Great Debate, will also be a member of the network's steering committee and advise on the design and publicising of these public engagement events.