The Charivari Institute comes into existence at a time of global polycrisis: of geopolitical, environmental and social upheaval, of imperialism and genocide, of flooding cities and burning forests, of extreme wealth and tragic poverty, and of mass disenchantment with political institutions. Universities should be places from which scholars can speak critically and fearlessly about such problems, and perhaps once were, but corporatism and managerialism have undermined academic freedoms. Precarious work, funding cuts, continual restructures, redundancies and excessive workloads have narrowed the reach and remit of scholarship and weakened the connection between intellectual work and wider society.
These pressures have been felt most keenly in the humanities and social sciences, at a time when their tools and insights are most needed. They reflect not only the rise of vocationalism and credentialism in the ‘edufactory’ but a wider crisis in liberal democracy.
For previous generations, space was eked out and fought for inside universities for research that mattered and was connected to our social worlds. As that material connection to society continues to weaken, it is no surprise that for many of us – whether employed in tenured or casual positions or enrolled as students – being inside universities has become an increasingly alienating endeavour.
The Charivari Alternative: Learning as a collective act.
Charivari aims above all to nurture critical social inquiry outside the academy, and to build bonds that challenge the isolation and alienation that is more and more characteristic of academic life.
The Charivari Institute is a collectivist project to cultivate critical scholarship derived from social needs. We see the humanities and social sciences as indispensable for an understanding of power, inequality, culture, history and social life and unlocks the possibilities and directions for political and social change. It is a utopian project for those rejecting political defeatism and dreaming of a better world. We see a growing public appetite for alternatives to digital culture and AI dependence – slower, more reflective forms of learning and opportunities for face-to-face engagement.
Charivari will work in two interconnected ways: Firstly, we aim to provide accessible adult education through face-to-face and online short courses, informal learning at one-off public events such as public lectures, ‘pub talks’ and panel debates. We will use forms of teaching that open up the humanities and social sciences beyond the university. Charivari sits outside academic institutions, which gives us freedom to experiment in our program offerings rather than replicating conventional pedagogy and delivery modes. We will avoid top-down, hierarchical education. We aim to offer teaching that combines intellectual content with social connection. Our focus in our first year will be on developing a program of offerings in the humanities and social sciences that is accessible, critical, interactive and socially engaging. See more.
Secondly, we aim to build a community of scholars committed to mentoring, networking, collaboration, and support in such socially important endeavours. We will prioritise relationship-building and community formation and ensure our programs reach beyond the inner-city. See more.
