open access

Abstract

In the introduction, we highlighted the importance of detachment in cultivating a self-reflexive critical practice. Remaining self-reflexive, even self-critical, is doubly as important in times of crisis, which can make jumping to conclusions all too tempting: Rushed diagnoses, whether medical or cultural, are likely to do more harm than good, especially at moments of urgency. At the same time, it is in the nature of a crisis to refuse to be simply ignored but to insist upon engagement from those affected. Humanities scholars responding to the coronavirus pandemic find themselves embroiled in (at least) two crises at once: A global health crises beckons our response from without, while the permanent crisis of the humanities threatens our position within the academia. This conclusion considers considers engagement and eroticism as models for critical practice.