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Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
Creating our Future - an arts, humanities and social sciences perspective at DCU

Creating our Future: The View from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) at DCU

The Creating our Future campaign, launched recently by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), is an excellent opportunity for researchers and society as a whole to help shape the future National Research Strategy for Ireland. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at DCU embraced this opportunity by organising a discussion panel on August 26th, 2021. To collate as many representative voices as possible the faculty included researchers from all stages of the research career cycle. It was also felt that it was important to include inputs from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with whom DCU researchers regularly collaborate and the faculty is grateful for their participation. Our primary objective was to identify areas of importance from an Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) perspective, for consideration and inclusion in the final strategy.

The panelists and informants

The event was organised by Prof. Sharon O’Brien (Associate Dean for Research), Dr Pádraig Murphy (School of Communications) and Dr Tanya Lokot (Associate Dean for External Engagement). Our panelists included representatives from each of the seven Schools in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at DCU and colleagues who ranged from PhD students to advanced career researchers. They were:

  • Ms. Maeve Howe – School of Law and Government
  • Dr Kayla Rush – School of Theology, Philosophy and Music
  • Dr Darren Clarke – School of History & Geography
  • Dr Ellen Howley – School of English
  • Dr Ciarán Mac an Bhaird – Fiontar agus Scoil na Gaeilge
  • Dr Patrick Cadwell – School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies
  • Prof. Jane Suiter – School of Communications

In addition, a number of CSO representatives were invited to participate. Some attended and contributed on the day:

  • Fighting Blindness (represented by Rachel Bermingham) 
  • Barnardos (represented by Stephen Moffat) 
  • The Wheel (represented by Maria O'Connell) 

Others who could not attend also contributed in advance of the meeting:

  • Dublin Simon (represented by Michelle Connolly) 
  • Focus Ireland (represented by Daniel Hoey)
  • Pavee Point (represented by Dr Lynsey Kavanagh)

Summary of core points

A number of preliminary questions were shared with the panel. Here are some highlights and key points that emerged at the event, including faculty feedback and recommendations for the National Research Strategy.

The panel acknowledged progress in relation to engaged research and the inclusion of humanities and social sciences in national research discussions. These are positive aspects that represent a shifting in ground from top-down policy to advance science and technology in previous research strategies towards a more collaborative research and development that aligns with public policy. However, the themes below that emerged from the co-creation event in DCU would ideally be addressed in our next National Research Strategy.

Research on lived experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of research and innovation across key areas of transformation. Although the focus in the media tended to be on the science around COVID-19, it was also recognised that Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) had made key contributions and that a focus on the lived experience in the pandemic was crucially important. Research into this aspect is driven by AHSS researchers. Interestingly, historical documents and literature allowed us to delve into the lived experiences of previous pandemics, such as described by Defoe, Camus, and Foucault, which helped us to make some sense of our own current pandemic experience. People turned to nature, but also to art and music for solace. This emphasizes how important these are to creating resilient societies. Vaccines only go so far.

DCU’s Educational Trust funded rapid-response research for and during the pandemic, including research that was led by HSS researchers. This demonstrated foresight that research needed to be multi-dimensional. Research on lived experience is crucial to any future National Research Strategy.

Policy and Impact

Our panel discussed how policy and impact tend to be under-defined in national conversations on research. Definitions matter, as we all know. What is ‘social distancing’? What is ‘policy’ or ‘impact’? A National Research Strategy should define these concepts very clearly so that the goal posts are not constantly moving. However, an important point made was that defining ‘impact’ in advance of conducting research was problematic. Sometimes unintended positive impacts occur. Active participation of CSOs in research, for example, might lead to impacts that were simply not identifiable at the outset. A community representative at the event stated in their submission that “The move towards ‘research for policy’ is hugely important, there needs to be evidence to underpin policy and it should be strongly emphasised in the strategy. [Research] should also include representatives from the sectors of society who will be impacted by policy decisions.”  Furthermore, we need to move beyond the traditional economic and scientific impacts that are normally measured to a more holistic set of measures, including, for example, considering the impact of research on minority ethnic groups.  IUA Campus Engage has developed work on collaborative policy and impact and this should be utilised in the National Research Strategy. Additionally, the future research strategy should encourage compliance with the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty as per Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014, in order to eliminate discrimination, promote equality, and protect human rights.

Value

The panel recognised that it is sometimes difficult to ‘quantify’ research in AHSS in terms of economic benefit, but this is no less important than for other research sectors. AHSS research has much to offer in terms of tackling Grand Challenges, including the considerable challenge humanity is facing with climate change. STEM research alone will not succeed in tackling this crisis. The pandemic has taught us the importance of human behaviour for successfully combating a pandemic. We understand now, more than ever, that funding AHSS research into communication, behaviour, policy change and so on is essential for dealing with the climate crisis, among other crises we are facing. Apart from dealing with crises, we also need to recognise that arts, music, writing, theatre, among other activities, are also economic drivers as well as channels for achieving societal cohesion, equality, inclusion and diversity, all of which have their own values. In our National Research Strategy we would like to see an inclusive definition of what is considered to be ‘valuable’ research and of how ‘researchers‘ are portrayed. Not all researchers wear white coats.

Funding

The panel was well-aware that funding for all stages of AHSS research is much more limited when compared with funding for STEM research. This limits what is achievable. The panel called for more funding for AHSS research and for collaborative research; collaborations with our STEM colleagues, where AHSS researchers have a full seat at the table, but also, and crucially, collaborative funding with CSOs. The panel recognised that universities are generally working from a position of privilege and therefore recognised the need to have equal, engaged partnerships with CSOs to tackle the problems experienced by the most vulnerable in society.

Interdisciplinarity

The panelists had considerable experience in interdisciplinary research, agreeing that it was very fulfilling, but also very challenging. The complexity of the challenges faced by society today require interdisciplinary solutions. By this, we do not mean research done in siloes, but true collaborations that are equally funded between STEM, AHSS, Industry and Civil Society. One community partner stated that “[t]he success of all of [our]operations depend on highly skilled multi-disciplinary work, both within the organisation and with our partners in the sector. With this in mind, there is huge opportunity to collaborate with HEIs to create and share knowledge across a wide variety of subjects.”

Our National Research Strategy should recognise the importance of real interdisciplinary collaboration through meaningful funding mechanisms. This type of research requires relationship and trust building, which cannot be constructed overnight, or even over a one or two year project. Funding for research should take a long-term view to facilitate trusting relationships between the parties listed above. Ireland should not focus on short-term economic recovery as the only goal for our National Research Strategy. The panel agreed that, in the next National Research Strategy, there had to be support for basic and applied research and for a much better recognition of the importance of the AHSS role in Ireland’s future.