"Historically, the traditional humanities presented an alternative to the commercial market, seeing human value as more important than (and without equivalence to) mercantile values. More recently..."

The New Humanities

Once-robust fields are being broken up and stripped for parts.

"They differ in their social stances, too. Historically, the traditional humanities presented an alternative to the commercial market, seeing human value as more important than (and without equivalence to) mercantile values. More recently, cultural studies tends to criticize, if not directly oppose, the commercial market. Some wings of the new humanities, like the environmental humanities, have affinities with cultural studies, but others tend to be less critical, and more readily accommodate — or reproduce — mercantile values."