MUSCAT: A recently-conducted study called for the restoration of humanities in the higher education system, being a fundamental pillar for a balanced and sustainable knowledge-based economy.
In their study, published in the Journal of Arabian Studies under the title ‘Reimagining the Knowledge Economy: A Critical Call to Reposition the Humanities in Omani Higher Education', Dr Maryam bint Ali al Hinaiyah, Professor of Intercultural Communication, and Prof Mohammed bin Ali al Balushi, Professor of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, assert that prevailing discourses on the knowledge-based economy often reduce concepts of progress and innovation to scientific and technological aspects only disregarding humanities and social sciences, despite their pivotal role in developing critical thinking, promoting ethical values and consolidating cultural identity.
The study pointed to the gap between national strategic directions, as outlined by Oman Vision 2040 and the Cultural Strategy 2021–2040, which emphasise the importance of national identity, culture and creativity, and the actual practices in higher education institutions, which tend to prioritise scientific, technological and business disciplines.
The study revealed that the humanities maintain a significant presence, particularly in the fields of education, society and culture. However, this presence is gradually declining compared to engineering and technical disciplines, especially among students studying abroad.
The study concluded by emphasising that investing in humanities contributes to preparing generations that possess technical competence alongside cultural and ethical awareness, thereby strengthening the path of comprehensive and balanced development in the Sultanate of Oman.
Dr Maryam bint Ali al Hinaiyah, Assistant Professor of Intercultural Communication, in the Department of English Language and Translation at Sultan Qaboos University, said: “The study is part of an extended intellectual project that began within a research grant since 2022, and aims to rethink the position of humanities and the knowledge production system in higher education institutions. On an academic level, the project stems from a profound and systematic critique of neoliberalism, which has redefined education as a purely economic tool, where the value of knowledge is measured by its profitability, not by its contribution to building individuals or society.”
Prof Mohammed bin Ali al Balushi, Professor of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, explained that humanities play a pivotal role in restoring humanity to the centre of the cognitive process. These disciplines do not treat elements as readily available data, but rather as phenomena imbued with meaning, requiring understanding before application and interpretation before implementation.
He went on to say that the presence of history, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, and other humanities disciplines within the higher education system trains students and researchers to interpret the cultural contexts they engage with, and to grasp the relationship between material and intangible heritage, between place and memory and between development and meaning. — ONA
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