Science Year 2007: Year of the Humanities

On 25 January 2007, the Year of the Humanities was officially launched at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. In addition to Federal Minister Dr. Annette Schavan, the winner of the German Peace Prize, Professor Lepenies and the actress Martina Gedeck participated in the event, among others.

Since the year 2000, the BMBF has been organizing Science Years on different topics together with the Science in Dialogue Initiative and further partners from science, industry and culture. The year 2007 will be dedicated to the humanities. The Year of the Humanities will be a special Science Year. Following seven Science Years focussing on the natural sciences, the whole diversity of the humanities, their disciplines, topics and methods will now be made visible. More than 100 partners from all areas of humanities research and teaching have already agreed to participate in the Year of the Humanities. Furthermore, the BMBF will strengthen the humanities in the long term by means of a "Freedom for Research in the Humanities" concept.

"The Humanities. The ABCs of Humankind"

What would ideology be without contradiction? A topic for the humanities. The topic "Languages of Humankind" constitutes the framework for the Year of the Humanities. Language is the element common to all the different disciplines of the humanities. The constitutional link between tradition, continuity, topicality and future viability in the humanities can be experienced through language. Language includes speech as well as facial expression and body language, music and dance. All this is symbolically reflected in the central motto of the Science Year: "The Humanities. The ABCs of Humankind."

The core of work in the humanities can be described in the three dimensions "Imparting knowledge - Creating - Remembering".

• Imparting knowledge
  The humanities thrive on the word. They analyse concepts and their significance, they translate and impart content and thus secure the basis for our knowledge of human culture.
• Creating
  The aesthetic discovery of the world is a topic for science in art, theatre, film and music. The humanities study how cultures influence our perception of reality. But they also contribute to this influence by forming an understanding of ourselves and structuring our knowledge.
• Remembering
  The humanities are the bridge between the past, the present and the future. By remembering and preserving this past, they put their stamp on cultures and traditions and open society up to the future. They reflect the foundations, traditions and memory and they influence our understanding of ourselves which is based on the past.
  During the Year of the Humanities, the achievements, the diversity and the broad range of application of the humanities are to be made visible for the general public through many events. The Year of the Humanities will conclude with a final event in November.

Strengthening Science

Since the beginning of this legislative term, the BMBF has made it clear that strengthening the humanities and cultural sciences is at the top of its education and research policy agenda. That is one of the reasons why the Year of the Humanities will be a special Science Year: The BMBF is planning concrete measures to strengthen the humanities, which will start with the "Freedom for Research in the Humanities" concept in 2007. At international level, this includes the inclusion of the humanities in the 7th EU Research Framework Programme, the establishment of international research schools in the humanities in coordination with the DFG as well as the realignment and reintegration of the current "New methods and technologies in the humanities" funding priority into a programme under the title of "Interdependency between the humanities and natural sciences" with a focus on linguistics and study of literature.

A number of competitions will also take place over the year. Under the motto of "Exciting Humanities", the institutions of higher education are invited to develop original and exciting event formats. The best 15 proposals will be awarded a prize and will receive €15,000 for implementation. The "What are you speaking?" competition is addressed to schools. Here, secondary schools are invited to develop exciting and original project ideas on the topic of "Language in our life". The best 100 proposals will be awarded a prize and will receive €2,000 each.